Hornets Get Their Second Straight Win vs. Knicks

The Charlotte Hornets came back from an early 16-point deficit to beat the New York Knicks 104-96 on Friday night.

Miles Bridges scored 24 points on some athletic dunks and spin moves. Point guard LaMelo Ball had a career high 17 boards to go along with 12 points and nine assists, once again flirting with a triple-double.

Gordon Hayward added 22 points of his own and 7 assists, Terry Rozier contributed 18 point and Kelly Oubre Jr. added 12 as Charlotte outscored the Knicks 34-21 in the third quarter, for only their second victory in the last seven games.

The Knicks started out with an early lead, thanks in large part to former Hornet Kemba Walker. They were ahead by double digits midway through the first quarter. The lead expanded to as large as 16 by the end of the quarter, as they connected on seven 3-pointers, four of them hit by Walker. The Hornets were cold from the field, only hitting 7-of-22 field goals and 1-of-10 3-point shots. They trailed 34-18 after one.

The Hornets turned up the defensive intensity and made the Knicks take many tough, contested jumpers in the second quarter. They struggled on the glass but it did not end up hurting them. Gordon Hayward kept the Hornets afloat until they made a late mini-push to cut the lead to nine heading into the locker room. The Hornets made just 2-of-17 shots from downtown in the first two quarters.

Hayward converted a basket and hit a free throw seven seconds into the third quarter and then scored off a Knicks turnover a few seconds later. He and Rozier each made a field goal to cap off a 10-1 run in a minute and forty seconds to knot the game and forced the Knicks to call a timeout.

Hayward turned into a facilitator after the timeout, as the Hornets continued their run. He assisted on three straight Hornet baskets, as they built their lead to eight points after a 22-5 start to the quarter. Rozier and Bridges had a strong quarter also. The Hornets led by double figures late before Immanuel Quickley connected on two 3-pointers for the Knicks to make it a four point game, 80-76, heading into the final quarter.

The Knicks began the fourth quarter on a small run to tie the game. They stuck with their bench deep into the quarter. The teams exchanged baskets and dunks. Kelly Oubre Jr. hit three shots from distance and Bridges responded to an Obi Topin windmill dunk with one of his own. That dunk ignited a 12-3 Hornets run, which included moves by Bridges and Ball that were unbelievable. That run put the Hornets up by eight and they cruised to a 104-96 victory.

Julius Randle had a quiet night with just 10 points and missed 3-of-4 foul shots in the closing moments for the Knicks. Kemba Walker scored 26 points, with 3 rebounds and 3 assists. Alec Burke had 15 points and 9 rebounds off the bench.

The Knicks host the Indiana Pacers Sunday night. The Hornets host the Golden State Warriors on Sunday night also.