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The Hornets suffer disappointing loss to the Knicks in the Big Apple

Hornets fall flat to the Knicks 111-105 at Madison Square Garden.

Austin Leake

John Jones-Imagn Images

The New York Knicks sat their starters of Karl-Anthony Towns, Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, OG Anunoby, and Mikal Bridges, but it wasn't enough for the Hornets to take advantage. Throughout the night, the Hornets were outmatched by the Knicks physicality and toughness.

The Hornets trailed at halftime 65-63 after the Knicks scored 41 second-quarter points. The Knicks then went on a 13-0 run midway through the third quarter, which proved to be too much for the Hornets to overcome.

One aspect to note and be aware of was Miles Bridges leaving the game in the second quarter with what appeared to be a leg injury as you can see below.

Bridges remained on the bench throughout the remainder of the game and looked to be stretching a lot, appearing to attempt to loosen up his leg. As well, Vasilije Micic, Seth Curry, and Josh Green did not appear in this game.

Despite Ball's tremendous two previous games in the preseason, he struggled tonight shooting the ball at 5-17 from the field and 4-11 from three. However, as a team, the Hornets poured in 18 three-pointers.

Best of The Night: Brandon Miller

After what has been a somewhat quiet preseason from Miller, he started to get going in this game. However, most of his damage was made in the third quarter where he poured in 15 of his 26 total points. Miller now has back-to-back 20-point games in the preseason as he scored 22 points on Thursday versus the Grizzlies. It's perfect timing for Miller to begin finding his rhythm with the team, as the regular season is looming.

Worst of The Night : Defense and Rebounding

This was undoubtedly the worst of the night, as the Hornets just couldn't seem to guard a parked car. The Knicks scored 65 points in the first half, mostly versus the Hornets starters, while the Knicks had their second and third-string players on the floor.

Another area where the Hornets faltered was rebounding as the Knicks out-rebounded the Hornets 59-46, which came as a surprise as the Hornets had out-rebounded their last three opponents. Precious Achiuwa added 20 points and 16 rebounds for the Knicks, which is not ideal. The Hornets are hoping this was just one of those games and not something that continues into the season.

Stat of The Night: Tidjane Salaün 37 Minutes

Tidjane Salaün was surprisingly moved to the starting lineup for this game and played almost the entirety of the game. I don't think too many people would've anticipated Salaün starting, nonetheless playing the most minutes in a preseason game.

Although Salaün had some rookie mistakes, he still was really impressive with 13 points, 8 rebounds, and three three-pointers. It's good to see Salaün getting so much game action, especially with the starters so he can become more comfortable with players like LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller. Smart by Charles Lee to get Salaün as much experience as possible before the regular season begins.

Highlight of the Night : Brandon Miller + LaMelo Ball Chemistry

The Hornets have one preseason game remaining versus the Indiana Pacers in Indiana on Thursday at 7:00 p.m est.

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Austin Leake
AUSTIN LEAKE

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