There are great things happening in the ‘city that never sleeps’, and an undeniable buzz around the New York Knicks.
The Knicks were able to overcome another early challenge from the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday night, similar to the one eight days ago on Black Friday, before rolling to a 125-101 victory at the world’s most famous arena, Madison Square Garden. The Knicks, 14-8 on the season, earned their fourth consecutive win to tie their longest streak of the year and the second-longest active tally in the Eastern Conference behind five by Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks. New York has also come out on top, winning nine of its past eleven and is now a season-best six games over .500.
Having survived a one-point decision in the Queen City last week, the Knicks seemed bound for another dog fight from the Hornets, who silenced MSG with an early 13-point lead. New York fought back and made it a one possession game by the end of the first quarter and separated themselves pulling away with a commanding 38-16 surge in the third.
Thursday proved to be yet another dominant night for the Knicks’ starting five: Karl-Anthony Towns was an absolute monster, looking like Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing, registering another double-double with 27 points and 16 boards while Josh Hart, 18 points, 10 rebounds, was four assists shy of collecting his second straight triple-double.
Towns and OG Anunoby provided high-flying performances on both ends of the court, erasing an early deficit with dunks and defense, with Anunoby making an impact in nearly every box score category, notching 25 points, six rebounds, four steals, and two assists and blocks each. Jalen Brunson could afford to take a much-needed rest, playing only 27 minutes on Thursday but shot 6-of-8 from the field, including 5-of-6 from 3-point range, on his way to 24 points, all but five earned in the first quarter.
Last but certainly not least of the starters, was a near-complete game for Mikal Bridges, who had 19 with a team-high seven helpers. The Knicks’ advantage of plus-26 on the scoreboard with Bridges on the court was also tops in the game, making him plus-99 over the past three games. Off the bench, Miles ‘Deuce’ McBride had 10 points while Precious Achiuwa had four rebounds and two points in his season debut after missing the first 21 games of the year due to a preseason injury.
The Hornets (6-16) endured damage long before its seventh consecutive loss became official, as rookie Tidjane Salaun’s night ended prematurely after only two minutes due to an injury. With leading scorer LaMelo Ball sidelined, Brandon Miller paced Charlotte with 26 in defeat.
The Knicks close out a four-game homestand on Saturday when RJ Barrett and the Toronto Raptors make a divisional visit (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG).
Charlotte hosts Evan Mobley and the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday.
