A day after losing to the San Antonio Spurs, the New York Knicks fell flat to another weaker opponent on Thursday, losing to the Charlotte Hornets on the second night of a back-to-back 115-98. New York falls to 43-26 on the year while Charlotte improves to 18-51.
The Knicks struggled shooting once again
For the second night in a row, the Knicks’ offense was rough without Jalen Brunson. They shot just 40% from the field and 25.6% from three on the night, and got only seven points out of their bench unit throughout the game.
OG Anunoby scored 25 points but was inefficient from the field. He shot 7-for-19 from the floor and 3-for-12 from three. Karl-Anthony Towns had another strong game with 24 points and 10 rebounds, but his lack of defensive pressure gave Charlotte too many clean looks.
The bench was a massive concern, as the Hornets bench outscored the Knicks’ bench 42-7. Landry Shamet played 19 minutes and recorded zeros across the board, not scoring, grabbing a rebound, or dishing an assist in his action. Inefficient nights from Cameron Payne and Precious Achiuwa also contributed to the lack of bench production.
The Knicks provided no defensive intensity
The Hornets have been one of the worst teams in the league this season, but the Knicks allowed them to get hot with poor defense. Charlotte shot 48.9% from the floor and 46.9% from three, with five guys scoring in double figures.
They had no answer for LaMelo Ball, as he scored 25 points and shot 5-for-10 from beyond the arc. He dissected the Knicks’ defense and flexed his long-range shooting, an area that the Knicks have struggled to defend all season.
New York was also dominated on the glass 52-38. Mark Williams led the way for the Hornets with 14 rebounds and Miles Bridges added 10 of his own. For the second consecutive game, New York failed to provide any imposing presence around the rim, which allowed the Hornets to get virtually whatever they wanted from everywhere on the court.
Overview
The Knicks blew an opportunity to make up some ground in the standings with their back-to-back losses. They are now just three games ahead of the Pacers for the third seed with 13 games remaining, making for an interesting playoff race as the season comes down to the wire. New York’s next game is Saturday night back home against the Washington Wizards.