Tuesday night’s game against the Celtics wasn’t necessarily the most frustrating or ugly loss of the season, but it was still frustrating. Jalen Brunson played one of, if not the, worst game of his Knicks career, and Karl-Anthony Towns, who did his part offensively, continued to make his fair share of defensive mistakes. That resulted in them wasting a masterpiece performance from Mikal Bridges and losing to a solid, but still Jayson Tatum-less Celtics team that came into the game just two games above .500.
Among the things the Knicks have done very well this season, though, is bounce back after losses. Since their three-game losing streak to close out October, the Knicks haven’t lost two games in a row. They’ll look to keep that streak alive tonight as they come back home to host the 6-15 Hornets, who have gone 1-9 in their first 10 road games of the season.
If the Knicks are to get back to their winning ways, it’ll behoove them to continue to try and place an emphasis on defending the three-something they have continued to struggle with again this season. When these two teams last met up, Charlotte shot 30% from three, going just 13-43. While New York did play solid defense for stretches, they also got lucky. [**The Hornets currently rank 10th in the league in three-pointers made, and shoot it at a 40% clip**](https://www.nba.com/stats/teams/traditional?dir=A&sort=FG3M), which isn’t great, but still much better than their November 26th outing would have you think.
The good news for the Knicks though is that Brunson can’t possibly be worse than he was last night. Less than 24 hours ago, Brunson had as ugly of a game as we’ve seen from him in a Knicks jersey. The captain went just 6-21 from the field, 1-8 from three, and scored just 15 points. That now marks back-to-back games in which he has shot under 32% and has scored less than 19 games. But Brunson should have a relatively easy time getting back on track. The Hornets currently rank 24th in defensive rating, and in the Knicks’ latest game against the Hornets, the point guard exploded for 33 points on 14-28 shooting from the field.
The Hornets will be without one of their better players in Brandon Miller, but the Knicks will also be without Mitchell Robinson, who was a +18 in 17 minutes against the Hornets last week. And what the Hornets will lose in Miller’s absence should be made up by Kon Knueppel not going 2-12 from the field 0-7 from three again. That being said, the Knicks should be, and are heavy favorites. They are a significantly better team, even without OG Anunoby, and Robinson despite being on the second night of a back-to-back.
That doesn’t mean that this will be a cakewalk though. We’ve seen teams, even these Knicks, let younger, and worse teams hang around for too long. And it wasn’t long ago that these Hornets beat a very solid Raptors team. The Knicks should win, but if Knueppel can see some positive regression, and the Knicks play around with their food, it could be another frustrating contest where the game stays closer than it should.
In the end though, the Knicks should prevail. While they could be tired from playing less than 24 hours ago, they should also feel motivated to not suffer another loss, this time coming at home against an inferior team. Expect a heavy dose of Brunson early on, and big games from at least two of the other starters- all of whom scored 18 or more points against the Hornets last week.
Knicks play with some anger on defense, explode offensively, and win 125-100 to improve to 11-1 at home.
Date: Wednesday, December 3, 2025
Place: Madison Square Garden, NYC
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