The Charlotte Hornets lost to a very aggressive New York Knicks team, 109-97, on Tuesday night. After a sub-par start, the Hornets were able to take a 6 point lead (66-60) into the half, but in the 3rd quarter, the entire game shifted because of a big contribution from the Knicks RJ Barrett.
Barrett went off in the 3rd quarter, scoring 18 of his team high 24 points. The Hornets came out sluggish in the quarter allowing the Knicks to go on a 6-0 run, which tied the game at 69. The Knicks went on a huge run, 19-8, closed by 5 consecutive points from Barrett, making the 88-77 with 2:36 left in the quarter. The Hornets were ice cold in the quarter scoring only 16 points. Every other quarter was competitive in the game.
The 4th quarter started of slow for the Hornets with the Knicks taking a double-digit lead 102-90. Charlotte was able to come back with 5 straight points cutting the deficit to 102-95. The Knicks then put the game on ice with a 3 point field goal by Reggie Bullock and a jumper from Derrick Rose.
Even with the contributions of P.J. Washington who had 26 points and Terry Rozier who added 21 points, the Hornets could not overcome the physicality and the shooting of the Knicks. Derrick Rose and Immanuel Quickley each had 17 points off the Knicks bench. The Knicks All-Star, Julius Randle, scored 16 points. Washington is the sixth Charlotte player in the last 25 seasons to score more than 20 points in the first two quarters off the bench.
With this loss, the Hornets drop to one game below .500, 29-28. Hornets’ coach James Borrego said there is no set time for injured (fractured wrist) point guard LaMelo Ball’s return, however he has been cleared for basketball-related activities.
Up next, the Hornets play the Chicago Bulls. Both of these teams are fighting for play-in spots. Let’s see what happens on Thursday night.
