Hornets attempt to beat Knicks for first time since 2023

The Knicks have won six straight regular season matchups against Charlotte

John Jones-Imagn Images

INJURY REPORT:

Hornets: OUT - Josh Okogie (L Hamstring), Brandon Miller (R Wrist), Grant Williams (R ACL), Tre Mann (Disc Herniation), Tidjane Salaün (R Ankle) QUESTIONABLE - Marcus Garrett (Low Back), Moussa Diabaté (R Knee) PROBABLE - LaMelo Ball (R Wrist), Miles Bridges (Illness)

Knicks: OUT - Jalen Brunson (R Ankle), Ariel Hukporti (L Knee) QUESTIONABLE - Mitchell Robinson (Injury Management)

Game Preview:

The 7th of March in 2023 - that's when the Charlotte Hornets last beat the New York Knicks in a regular season game. The trio of Kelly Oubre Jr. (27pts, 5rb), Terry Rozier (25pts, 5rb, 7as), and Gordon Hayward (23pts, 9rb, 8as) led the way on course to a 112-105 victory.

Fast forward about two years and the Knicks have beaten the Hornets six times in a row. Apart from one close game earlier this season, the losses have all been pretty decisive and another routing might be in stock at the Spectrum Center tonight.

LaMelo Ball and Co. have looked as inconsistent as ever as of late, shooting the lights out against San Antonio before being blown out by the Clippers and Hawks. A once again stacked injury report won't help matters either, especially if Ball and Bridges should be ruled out. Even with those two available, it's going to be a tough challenge.

The Knicks have been one of the all-around best offensive teams in the NBA for large parts of the season. They can hit from all areas of the court and have three reliable scoring options in Karl-Anthony Towns, Mikal Bridges, and Jalen Brunson.

Luckily for Charles Lee, he won't have to derive a gameplan for the latter, as Brunson is currently laboring with an ankle injury. Overall, the Knicks haven't looked as prolific offensively since the former Villanova Wildcat went down.

In more good news, New York is on the second night of a back-to-back and coming fresh off of a loss against the Wemby-less Spurs. To sum it up, this is arguably the weakest New York has looked all year.
The Hornets are weakened by injuries themselves, but you can't ask for much more of an equalizer.

Nobody knows how Charlotte's squad will look next year but it probably won't be significantly better than this year's. The Knicks will be a powerhouse in the East for many more seasons, so this is a chance to put an end to a losing streak that could otherwise drag on in the future.

Key Matchup: Karl-Anthony Towns vs Mark Williams

Hornets fans still have fond memories of the last time Karl-Anthony Towns went off against the purple and teal. KAT was still in a Minnesota Timberwolves uniform a year ago, when he put up 62 points against Charlotte in a losing effort.

Mark Williams didn't play that day due to injury, but he'll probably suit up tonight. With Brunson out, Towns will be the focal point of New York's offense and Williams should have his hands full.

Projected Starting Lineups

	Charlotte Hornets	New York Knicks
Point Guard	LaMelo Ball	Miles McBride
Shooting Guard	Josh Green	Mikal Bridges
Small Foward	DaQuan Jeffries	OG Anunoby
Power Forward	Miles Bridges	Josh Hart
Center	Mark Williams	Karl-Anthony Towns

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