It's an Eastern Conference midseason matchup, Group B, in the Big Apple. The Charlotte Hornets are on the road as they take on the New York Knicks on Tuesday night.
Charlotte comes in coming off a 130-117 road loss to the Orlando Magic in their previous game on Sunday night. New York also fell 116-113 at home to the Phoenix Suns in their last game.
Charlotte Stalks More Wins
Charlotte saw its two-game winning streak come to a halt as they were beaten by Orlando on the road Sunday night in the NBA. The Hornets entered Monday with a 5-10 record on the season and were in fourth place in the Southeast Division, six games behind Orlando.
Against Orlando, Charlotte led by eight points after the first quarter only to be outscored 36-24 in the second quarter and trailing by four points at halftime.
Despite their best efforts, the Hornets never got closer than three in the second half, resulting in the loss.
Charlotte shot 53% from the field, including 13 of 30 from the three-point line, and turned the ball over 18 times while allowing Orlando to shoot 54% in the game. Miles Bridges led the Hornets with 23 points and 10 rebounds in the loss.
For the season, the Hornets rank 14th in the league on offense with an average of 114.1 points per game. Charlotte is 10th in the league in rebounds with 45 rebounds per game and 20th in assists with 25.4 assists per game.
The Hornets are 27th on defense, allowing an average of 122.2 points per game. Terry Rozier is second in scoring for the Hornets with 22 points, four rebounds and five assists per game this season.
Gordon Hayward, with 13.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.5 assists, LaMelo Ball, with 24.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, 8.2 assists, Miles Bridges, with 21.2 points, 8.8 rebounds, P.J. Washington, with 14.7 points, and Brandon Miller, with 14.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, are solid contributors on the offensive end.
Mark Williams, with 13.5 points, 10.1 rebounds, Theo Maledon, JT Thor and Nick Richards are expected to provide rotational depth for the Hornets.
Charlotte ranks 11th in the league in shooting percentage at 47.4% from the field as a team.
The Hornets rank 27th in three-pointers per game with 10.6 per game and 24th in three-point percentage by shooting 34.6% from beyond the arc.
Ready for tournament basketball? pic.twitter.com/8LVQMgdVbz
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) November 28, 2023
The Knicks hope to bounce back
New York was in another game that went all the way at home, but this time they were on the wrong side of the scoreboard when time ran out and they fell to the Suns on Sunday.
The Knicks fell to a 9-7 record on the season and sit third in the Atlantic Division, 3.5 games behind the first-place Boston Celtics.
Against Phoenix, New York trailed 12 points after the first quarter, as many as 14 in the second quarter, eight at halftime and 13 in the third quarter, when they cut the deficit to three after three quarters.
The fourth quarter was a back-and-forth affair and, with the game tied, the Knicks allowed the game-winning 3-pointer with 1.7 seconds left.
New York shot 45.3% from the field, including 12 of 29 from the three-point line, and lost the battle on the boards 47-38 in the game. Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 35 points, six rebounds and eight assists in the loss.
On the year, the Knicks rank 26th in the league on offense with 109.7 points per game entering this game.
New York is third in the league in rebounds by collecting 46.8 rebounds per game while they rank 28th in the league in assists by dishing out 22.6 assists per game.
The Knicks rank second in the league on defense, allowing 105.3 points per game. RJ Barrett ranks third on the Knicks to start the season, averaging 19.5 points per game.
Quentin Grimes, Donte DiVincenzo, Isaiah Hartenstein, Mitchell Robinson and Josh Hart are key contributors to coach Tom Thibodeau.
New York ranks 28th in the league in shooting percentage by shooting 44% from the floor as a team. The Knicks rank 10th in the league in three-pointers per game by making 13.3 three-pointers per night, while ranking ninth in three-point percentage by making 37.1% of their attempts from beyond the arc.
