Ball Scores 25 PTS, Bridges and Williams Double-Double, Charlotte Dominates Glass, Benches

By Sam Perley

 

One of the best end-to-end performances of the season came together for the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday night against the visiting New York Knicks. Simply put, they started the game with the appropriate energy and just never looked back for a 115-98 home win.

 

Top Performers: Returning from a brief one-game absence, LaMelo Ball totaled 25 points on 10-of-23 shooting – 5-of-10 from 3-point range – five rebounds and a game-high eight assists in under 28 minutes. Mark Williams racked up 19 points, 14 rebounds – seven offensive – and three blocks for his ninth double-double in 11 appearances, with Miles Bridges (15 points, 10 rebounds, game-best +20 plus-minus) double-doubling, as well.

 

OG Anunoby (25 points on 7-of-19 shooting) and Karl-Anthony Towns (24 points on 10-of-21 shooting, 10 rebounds) both tallied 20-point performances for the Knicks, who lost for the second time in two days following Wednesday’s defeat in San Antonio. All-Star starter Jalen Brunson (right ankle sprain) missed his seventh consecutive outing for New York.

 

Turning Point: Charlotte worked around some early foul trouble to close the first quarter on a 12-0 run for an early 27-19 advantage. The hosts firmly held onto that lead throughout the next two quarters, making it to the fourth up, 85-72. But over the final 12 minutes, every time it looked like New York might go on a run, the Hornets responded with a shot or stop to regain momentum. With Charlotte ahead by 12 at the 4:13 mark of the fourth, Williams came from behind to swallow up Anunoby’s two-foot layup attempt. Moments later, he slammed in a two-handed dunk on a dump-off pass from Nick Smith Jr. to complete the dagger four-point swing.

 

Hornets Finally Top Knicks

 

Coming into the night, Charlotte had lost six straight meetings with New York, as well as the past five at Spectrum Center dating back to November of 2021. Facing a Knicks team that currently sits third in the Eastern Conference, the Hornets never wavered at any point – particularly during a slightly contentious third quarter – and brought this one home in impressive fashion.

 

Charlotte Controls the Boards

 

Much of the Hornets’ early energy was directed towards and harnessed on the glass, an area they would later claim in the final box, 52-38. New York forward Josh Hart, widely considered one of the best rebounding wings in the NBA, finished with only four boards (averages 9.7), his second fewest in any game this season in which he logged at least 39 minutes.

 

A Very One-Sided Bench Battle

 

New York Head Coach Tom Thibodeau is known for playing his starters heavy minutes, partly because his top-heavy team just doesn’t have the greatest depth. Even so, none of the Knicks’ three rotational reserves – Precious Achiuwa, Landry Shamet and Cameron Payne – scored until the fourth quarter, which was a major reason why Charlotte crushed the bench points, 37-11.

 

Postgame Quote

 

“Tremendous job by the team and players to respond and come out with the appropriate amount of attention to detail and effort. The competitiveness was at a really high level. They trusted the game plan throughout the game, they trusted each other throughout the game defensively and offensively. I thought that the execution of pick-and-roll defense, shift activities and getting some deflections on balls… started with Melo’s activity early on. All those plays, they just add up and they continued to give us a boost.” – Hornets Head Coach Charles Lee

 

What’s Next?

 

The Hornets will complete their back-to-back on the road against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday, March 21 beginning at 8 PM ET. Charlotte has dropped its past three head-to-head meetings with the Thunder after winning the previous five from April 7, 2021 – March 28, 2023.