New York Knicks Handle Charlotte Hornets; Enough to Advance to NBA In-Season Tournament Knockout Round? - East Group B Tracker

Keep track of all the happenings in the New York Knicks' group at the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament.

Starting Nov. 3, the New York Knicks will partake in the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament. The path to a Las Vegas-based championship battle begins with the NBA's 30 teams split into six five-team groups, three in each conference. 

Stationed in Group B in the Eastern Conference, the Knicks face a daunting challenge ahead: they'll face two fellow playoff participants from last season, the Milwaukee Bucks and the Miami Heat, while also squaring off against the Charlotte Hornets and Washington Wizards. The winner of each group will advance to the knockout round, as will one runner-up finisher. A championship final is scheduled for Dec. 9 in Las Vegas.

Keep track of all the happenings in the Knicks' group below ...

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Standings, Scores, and Schedule

	W	L	Point Differential	Points Scored
y-Milwaukee	4	0	+46	502
x-KNICKS	3	1	+42	440
Miami	2	2	+4	464
Charlotte	1	3	-54	419
Washington	0	4	-38	458

x-clinched knockout round spot
y-clinched group win

Tiebreakers: 1) Head-to-head in group matchup 2) Point differential in group games 3) Points scored in group games 4) 2022-23 regular season record 5) Random draw

Friday, November 3

Milwaukee 110, KNICKS 105
Miami 121, Washington 114

Friday, November 10

Charlotte 124, Washington 117

Tuesday, November 14

Miami 111, Charlotte 105

Friday, November 17

KNICKS 120, Washington 99
Milwaukee 130, Charlotte 99

Friday, November 24

KNICKS 100, Miami 98
Milwaukee 131, Washington 128

Tuesday, November 28

KNICKS 115, Charlotte 91
Milwaukee 131, Miami 124

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Game Summaries and News

11/3: LILLARD BUCKS KNICKS DESPITE 45 FROM BRUNSON

Jalen Brunson scored a season-high 45 points for the New York Knicks (2-4) but that wasn't enough to counter clutch antics from Damian Lillard, who had 30 points, including eight of the final nine, in a 110-105 victory for the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum. Milwaukee (3-2) ruled the night from three-point range, hitting 20 of 39 attempts. Giannis Antetokounmpo hit all three of his tries en route to 22 points while Jae Crowder and Brook Lopez led the team with four each.

11/3: HERRO PLAYS HERO AS HEAT WAX WIZARDS

The Miami Heat jumped out to an early lead in Group B in the East by ending a four-game losing streak with a 121-114 win over the Washington Wizards. Tyler Herro did a little of everything in the win, leading the team with 24 points and 11 rebounds while falling one assist short of a triple-double. While the Heat (2-4) withstood a Washington comeback effort in the fourth period, they led by as much as 25. Jimmy Butler had 20 points and three steals while Washington (1-4) was led by 22 points from Kyle Kuzma.

11/10: HORNETS FLY INTO 1ST BEHIND DOMINANT WILLIAMS DOUBLE-DOUBLE

A career night for Mark Williams thrust the Charlotte Hornets to the top of the Group B standings, as his dominant double-double paced a 124-117 victory over the Washington Wizards. Williams pulled down 24 rebounds to go with 21 points. His 15 of the offensive variety set a new single-season franchise record for Charlotte (3-5), which took the fourth quarter by a 36-20 advantage. Williams' heroics came on a night where the Hornets sank only 6-of-28 from three-point range but Gordon Hayward and LaMelo Ball managed to lead the team with 27 and 25 points respectively. Washington (2-6) failed to sweep a home-and-home with Charlotte despite eight different players reaching double-figures, led by 17 for Kyle Kuzma.

11/14: HEAT BECOME FIRST TEAM TO 2-0 AFTER WIN VS. HORNETS

The Miami Heat now sit atop Group B after a 111-105 win against the Charlotte Hornets, who now are 1-1 in group play. Miami (7-4) was led by its usual suspects Jimmy Butler, who scored a game-high 32 points, and Bam Adebayo, who walked away with a double-double scoring 21 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. P.J. Washington led Charlotte (3-7) with 32 points, while LaMelo Ball added 28 of his own.

11/17: WIZ FIZZ VS. KNICKS 

The New York Knicks earned the first In-Season Tournament win in franchise history on Friday night, leading wire-to-wire en route to a 120-99 victory over the Washington Wizards. Despite missing both RJ Barrett (migraines) and Quentin Grimes (wrist), the Knicks' backcourt came to play: Jalen Brunson scored 32 points while Immanuel Quickley added 27 more off the bench. Julius Randle had 22 points and dished out a team-best eight assists for the Knicks (7-5), who have now won five of their past six. Kyle Kuzma led the way for Washington (2-10) with 19 points in defeat.

11/17: HORNETS STUNG BY THREES, FALL TO BUCKS

The Milwaukee Bucks established a formidable lead in Group B with a 130-99 shellacking of the Charlotte Hornets on Friday. Malik Beasley and Damian Lillard paved the path to a blowout by uniting for half of Milwaukee's 22 three-pointers, as the latter's five built the foundation for a team-best 27 points. With the win, Milwaukee (8-4) moved back into first place in the group and has a massive point differential of plus-36. Charlotte (3-8) dropped its third in a row and fifth of its past six despite 37 points for LaMelo Ball, one short of his career-high. Friday marked a return to action for Charlotte star Miles Bridges after he missed all of last season, as well as the first 10 games of this ongoing campaign, during an investigation and suspension for a domestic violence arrest. Bridges played 33 minutes off the bench and scored 17 points.

11/24: BRUNSON BURNS HEAT, KNICKS STAY ALIVE 

Behind a resilient fourth quarter effort paced by Jalen Brunson, the New York Knicks' improbable case to advance in the In-Season Tournament stayed alive: Brunson's 24-point outing was the headliner of a metropolitan comeback against the Miami Heat, as the Knicks (9-6) erased a second-half deficit that reached as high as 21 en route to a 100-98 victory. New York was on the cusp of being eliminated from group-winning consideration thanks in part to Miami (10-6) scoring each of the first 19 points to open the third period. Despite visibly ailing from an achy shoulder, Brunson put the Knicks on his back over the final dozen. Immanuel Quickley added 20 points off the bench, earning most of it on 4-of-8 from three-point range, while the last of RJ Barrett's 18 points were earned on a driving and-one conversion that gave the Knicks a permanent lead just past the two-minute mark. 

11/24: UNDEFEATED BUCKS WITHSTAND WIZARDS

Behind a career-best scoring night for tenured veteran Brook Lopez, the Milwaukee Bucks held off the Washington Wizards' upset bid and remained the only undefeated team in Group B. Lopez's 39 points on 14-of-17 shooting was enough to serve as the difference in a 131-128 victory, giving the Bucks the inside track on advancing to the eight-team knockout round. The game proved historic and costly for Milwaukee (11-5): with Lopez's 39 and 31 each from Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, the Bucks had three players score at least 30 points in the same game for the first time in franchise history. They also, however, lost Khris Middleton to Achilles tightness in the third quarter after only 13 minutes. Jordan Poole led the way for Washington with 26 points in the completion of a fully futile maiden voyage in In-Season Tournament group play.

11/28: RANDLE HANDLES HORNETS, KNICKS SITTING PRETTY IN EAST WILDCARD 

Behind a career-best night on the glass for Julius Randle, the New York Knicks (10-7) set themselves up well for potential In-Season Tournament advancement, as they capped off group play with a 115-91 swatting of the Charlotte Hornets. With Randle (25 points, 20 rebounds) leading the way, the Knicks now boast a plus-42 point differential, far and away the best mark among current group runner-ups. With several other finals, the Knicks have officially clinched a spot on the East's four-team bracket in the In-Season Tournament's knockout stage. Randle's evening proved historic, as he became the first New Yorker to post a 20-20 showing since Enes Freedom in 2018. 

11/28: BUCKS DOUSE HEAT TO FINISH GROUP PLAY UNDEFEATED

The Milwaukee Bucks were one of four teams to earn a perfect group play stretch, getting by the Miami Heat 131-124. Giannis Antetokounmpo led the way with 33 points and 10 rebounds while Damian Lillard scored 32. With the win, Milwaukee (13-5) earned a bit of revenge for its first round loss to the Heat in the opening round of last spring's Eastern Conference playoffs and set up a knockout round quarterfinal matchup against the Knicks. The Bucks saved the best for last, concluding the game on a 16-6 run over the final three-plus minutes. With its loss, Miami (10-8) has dropped three in a row and now gets consolation games against Toronto and Cleveland.