Jalen Brunson poured in 32 points as the New York Knicks extended their winning streak to three games with a 122-108 victory over the struggling Charlotte Hornets on Saturday night.
Brunson scored 26 points in the first half for the Knicks, who built a 15-point advantage by halftime on the way to their sixth win in seven games.
“I think we’re on our way,” Brunson said. “There’s still a lot of work to do. We’re 13 games in. We’re in a good stretch and we’ve just got to build off of it.”
Donte DiVincenzo added a career-high 25 points, Julius Randle scored 21 points, R.J. Barrett finished with 15 points and Mitchell Robinson had a game-high 14 boards for New York. Barrett was forced to sit out the previous three games with migraine headaches.
LaMelo Ball had a game-high 34 points for the Hornets, which dropped its fourth straight game. Rookie Brandon Miller showed up and showed out with a career-high 29 points and Miles Bridges 19 in his second game back from a 10-game suspension.
New York led wire-to-wire during their current weekend two-game sweep that includes Friday’s 120-99 against the Washington Wizards.
Embed from Getty Images“I don’t get wrapped up in six of seven or however many in a row or whatever that might be because each game is different,” New York head coach Tom Thibodeau said. “You have to put in the work to win that game. So, to lock into that particular game is the most important thing so we can build the right habits.
”(But) the wins are important and hopefully we’re learning.”
After leading by eleven, 30-19, after the opening quarter, the Knicks took a game-high 15-point lead three times in the second quarter, the last at 47-32, before Charlotte whittled the lead down to single digits.
Ball knocked down two shots from beyond the arc early in the fourth quarter that pulled the Hornets within six, 94-88, with 9:37 left. The Knicks responded with a 15-6 run over the next 5 1/2 minutes, led by Barrett and DiVincenzo, that squashed any faint hopes Charlotte had of a comeback.
“I think the root of this game was just getting back on defense,” Miller said. “I think we kind of struggled maintaining our man in transition. I think that’s just an effort thing with us, something we’ve got to clean up going into the game against Boston.”
Baron Davis, a player who played for both franchises during a stellar 13-year career, was honored at halftime as a “Hornets Legend,” part of Charlotte’s 35-year anniversary of NBA basketball.
A first-round pick of Charlotte in 1999 out of UCLA, Davis was a two-time NBA All-Star during his six-year career with the Hornets/New Orleans Pelicans; Charlotte moved to New Orleans after the 2001-02 season. Davis later played for the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, Cleveland Cavaliers and Knicks.
Knicks: Travel to Minnesota on Monday to face Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves.
Hornets: Host Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics on Monday.
