The Knicks were down early to the Charlotte Hornets but were able to retake the lead and never looked back in a convincing 125-101 win at MSG.
Here are the takeaways…
-As mentioned, New York did not look good in the first six minutes of the game and the defense allowed the Hornets to start the game 4-of-5 from the field to go up 11-4 before head coach Tom Thibodeau decided to call a timeout. A 10-0 Charlotte run punctuated by a Josh Green put back dunk put the Hornets up by 12 points and they led by as many as 13 points halfway through the quarter on Brandon Miller’s emphatic slam.
Miller had a strong opening quarter and took advantage of the Knicks’ defensive woes by scoring 16 points, including three made three-pointers.
-However, six minutes into the quarter the switch flipped for New York offensively, led by Jalen Brunson. The point guard caught fire from deep, going 4-for-4 from beyond the arc and finished the quarter with 19 points. Thanks to a 23-12 run, including a 10-0 run in the final two minutes of the quarter, the Knicks went into the second quarter down by just two points.
-While it was the Brunson show in the first quarter, he took a step backstage for Josh Hart who lit up the court in the second quarter and was equally hot from three. Hart had 14 points in the quarter and finished the game with 18 points, 10 rebounds and six assists a game after going for a triple-double against the Orlando Magic.
-Hart wasn’t the only one to shine in the second quarter, though, as Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby also impressed. Bridges’ driving layup (assisted by Anunoby) with 4:07 left in the half gave the Knicks their first lead since it was 2-0 to start the game. Bridges also played all 24 minutes of the first half and 47 minutes in the game to add to his league lead in minutes played this season.
Meanwhile, Anunoby was all over the floor and had two steals that led to points which energized the home crowd and gave New York a 65-62 lead at the half.
-Smelling blood, the Knicks completely took over in the third quarter, outscoring Charlotte 38-16 to turn the game into a rout. They stayed hot from deep, going 5-for-6 from downtown and finished the game shooting 54.5 percent from three-point range.
-Precious Achiuwa made his season debut after missing the first 21 games with a hamstring injury. He played 12 minutes and scored two points with four rebounds and one assist.
-The only other bench player to score was Miles McBride (10 points, six assists), although Thibodeau emptied his bench in the final two minutes with the game out of reach.
-Karl-Anthony Towns recorded a double-double with a game-high 27 points and 16 rebounds.