The red hot New York Knicks were ready to host the Charlotte Hornets. Prior to the game, they have won 6 in a row, and were looking to make it 7. The Hornets came in fresh off a win on Sunday to the Portland Trailblazers – who were without Damien Lillard. Some of that energy carried over to tonight’s game, but they were humbled very quickly.
The Knicks came out hitting 4 three-pointers, up 12-3 early on. They started out 5-for-7 from downtown, forcing the Hornets to call timeout at the 7:45 mark. After talking it over, they hit 2 back-to-back threes to make it a 3-point game. With 10.8 left in the quarter, the Hornets took their first lead. It was a 33-30 game going into the second.
Derrick Rose bought the Knicks within 1 about 4 minutes into quarter number 2. Eventually, Immanuel Quickley gave his team the lead back. He had 3 consecutive baskets from behind the arc, but the Hornets would be unphased. The rest of the way, it was a back and forth game with each team either being tied or taking turns with the lead. Despite the Knicks hitting 11 threes in the first half, it would not outdo the Hornets’ 13. As a result, the Knicks went into the break trailing 66-60.
A flame got lit under RJ Barrett in the third quarter. He hit 3 shots from deep, and the Knicks took a 6-point lead just about the halfway mark. Barrett went 5-for-5 after being only 1-for-8 in the first half. The lead was 11 with 21 seconds left. Then, Miles Bridges hit a buzzer-beater jump shot to cut it to 9. The Knicks went into the fourth quarter up 91-82.
Since the start of the fourth, the Knicks could not be maintained. They took their largest lead of the game at the 6:40 mark. At that point, they led by 12. The closest that the Hornets were able to get was within 7. Overall, the Knicks had complete control of the fourth quarter. Rose put the finishing touches on this one with a pull-up jumper. The Knicks earned their 7th straight win as they beat the Hornets 109-97.
Barrett led the team with 24 points. Randle finished with a double-double having 16 points and 10 rebounds. Bullock also racked up 16 points. Rose and Quickley had 17 apiece.
Responsible for Barrett’s turnaround after halftime was Rose’s veteran leadership.
“Whenever I see him down, I try to talk to him as much as possible, he said. “In the second half he came out and I told him to be aggressive.”
Not only did Rose see potential in Barrett, but he saw the entire team’s potential from afar. The competitiveness is what inspired him to want to come back after the Pistons traded him. Nonetheless, he noted he is happy to be here.
“I saw a winning mentality where every team that plays against us knows it’s going to be a hard felt game, he said. “You just have to come out and bring your best.”
Up Next:
The Knicks will host the Hawks on Wednesday, April 21st at 8:00pm.
The Hornets will visit the Bulls on Thursday, April 22nd at 9:00pm.
