Kon Knueppel nearly registered a triple double while Brandon Miller and LaMelo Ball each chipped in 20+ points as the Charlotte Hornets easily defeated the New York Knicks, 114-103.
The Summary
Brandon Miller got the Hornets on the board with a putback dunk. LaMelo Ball followed that with a floater then an early heat check from like 32 feet that he splashed. There was definitely a playoff air to the game between the liveliness of the crowd and the energy of the players. The game was played at a frenetic pace, and the Hornets took an early 10 point lead. The Knicks tightened it up with a 9-0 run, then the teams traded punches through the end of the quarter.
The game settled down quite a bit when Jalen Brunson sat down to start the second quarter. He had carried the Knicks offense in the first, and they looked significantly less dynamic with their star getting a breather. Miles Bridges feasted on some mismatches throughout the quarter. It got to a point where the Knicks felt the need to bring help when he got the ball in the post, and that opened up 3-point looks. Coby White and the Hornets started to build a little bit of cushion as the quarter wound down. The lead was ten at intermission.
Moussa Diabate opened the second half by juking Karl-Anthony Towns out of his sneakers then slamming the ball directly off the front of the rim. No matter. The Hornets pushed the lead out to 15 with a flurry of 3-pointers from LaMelo and Kon Knueppel. Knueppel had a scary moment where he tweaked his ankle, but it seemed to supercharge him. He followed the incident with six quick points. The teams continued to trade blows, and the Knicks got visibly more frustrated with the direction of the game as the third quarter wound down. Grant Williams splashed a triple from the wing in the final seconds to send the home team into the fourth quarter with an 18 point lead.
Moussa Diabate earned the Hornets a couple of extra possessions early in the fourth to help take the game out of reach. He wreaked his usual havoc on the glass and stole the ball out from under Karl-Anthony Towns’ legs and found Miller for a fast break dunk to put the Hornets up 21. A series of turnovers allowed the Knicks to trim some of that away. The Hornets worried a little too much about killing clock instead of scoring baskets, and that allowed New York to further cut the lead down to single digits, though time was quickly dwindling away. LaMelo Ball calmed things down with a pair of free throws, then Miles Bridges tomahawked the dagger.
The Good
The Hornets rose to the occasion against on one of the Eastern Conference’s biggest contenders. They were intense out of the gate on both ends of the floor and then maintained their heads down the stretch after a building a nice lead. I’m sure there are a fair few Hornets fans that still haven’t fully grasped how good this team is, and seeing them handily beat the three seed in the East is another reminder that this team is legit. This win wasn’t a fluke. The Hornets were outright better than the Knicks.
I don’t know how much it was pre-planned, but the Hornets did a terrific job of picking on Jalen Brunson defensively. For as much of a savant as Brunson is on offense, he’s just as much a sieve on defense. He got switched onto Miles Bridges a lot, and the Hornets went at him every time and found a lot of success doing it. And in the second half in particular, it seemed like there was a directive that if you see Brunson guarding you, attack.
Kon Knueppel nearly got the first of what I assume will eventually be quite a few triple doubles in his career. He led the Hornets with 26 points and another six 3-pointers made and added 11 rebounds and eight assists. The ever focused and intense Knueppel seemed to find another gear in the heightened environment. He was all over the floor chasing loose balls. He was quicker on the trigger from three. He’s a true superstar in the making, and it’s very exciting to see what he does in a playoff setting. He simply might not let the Hornets lose.
Moussa Diabate didn’t have a huge box score night, but he did have four steals and a block. That understates his impact, as is often the case. He should be an All Defense team candidate sooner rather than later as one of the few players in the league that can truly guard one through five. He rendered Karl-Anthony Towns largely invisible and had a memorable moment where he stole the ball through KAT’s legs. He got switched onto Brunson a handful of times, and the three time all star had no answer for him. He forced Brunson into tough jumpers and kept his dribble penetration contained.
Miles Bridges still can’t buy a 3-pointer, but he still found a way to be a difference maker. He was the biggest beneficiary of cross matches when the Hornets had the ball and repeatedly took advantage of it. He drew double teams, and that’s not something the Knicks would have been planning on doing going into the game. He also drew the defensive assignment on Jalen Brunson a lot and did a respectable job despite Brunson’s stat line. He had to earn those baskets. They were not easy.
Brandon Miller and LaMelo Ball both chipped in effortless 20 point games. There’s not much more to say. They were great players playing their usual great games.
Coby White continues to be a revelation. He checks into the game and goes straight for buckets. He scored 17 points in just 23 minutes. He was simply unguardable once again.
This play by Grant Williams:
The officials get some credit for not gifting Jalen Brunson a bunch of fouls for his little tricks. He was only awarded three trips to the free throw line.
The Bad
No bad things for the Hornets.
I do want to point out that the Knicks spend a whole lot of time with their palms to the sky and perplexed looks on their faces, particularly KAT and the Villanova guys. It’s very satisfying to see the Hornets send them home sad.
What’s Next
That’s a huge win. Now the Hornets host the 76ers with the two teams separated by just one game in the standings. A Hornets win will give them the tiebreaker over Philadelphia and the 7 seed in the Eastern Conference playoff race.