New York Knicks Post Game: Winning Streak Snapped At Three By Charlotte Hornets

New York Knicks Post Game: Knicks Winning Streak Snapped at Three By Charlotte Hornets In Defensive Struggle

All good things must come to an end, and for the New York Knicks that was their winning streak, as it was snapped at three Saturday night by the Charlotte Hornets. The Knicks fought throughout the night, holding the lead through all of the first half and most of the third quarter until the Knicks offense really stalled. It was an ugly game on the offensive end, as neither the Knicks or Hornets were able to get anything going consistently on offense. This was the third victory for the Hornets over the Knicks this season, as the Knicks record falls to 8-36 on the season.

Player of the Game: Tim Hardaway Jr.

More from Empire Writes Back

• Caesars New York Promo Code: Win $250 Bonus GUARANTEED on ANY Bet!
• Last Chance Caesars Promo: Claim $1,250 Bonus for ANY MLB Bet!
• Caesars New York Promo Code Gives TWO Chances to Win Betting on Your Yankees!
• PointsBet New York Promo: FIVE $100 Bonus Bets to Back the Yankees or Mets!
• Caesars NY Promo: $1,250 Bonus to Celebrate the Return of Judge!

With Carmelo Anthony resting, and Amar’e Stoudemire hobbled, scoring the ball was not going to be easy Saturday night. The score shows that it was a struggle, but one player who stepped up big time was Hardaway Jr. He has struggled with his shot recently, but tonight he was able to get it going when no one else on either team was able to.

On the night Hardaway Jr. poured in a game-high and season-high 25 points, making 9-17 from the field and 5-8 from deep. He was also a perfect 2-2 from the foul line, something we will get into a little later on in the recap.

What was probably more impressive for Hardaway Jr. was the secondary stats he provided. He tied his career high in rebounding and assists tonight with six and five respectively, while also getting a block and having only one turnover. It was a solid night for Hardaway Jr., who needed a confidence boosting game like this. Hopefully he can ride this and string together a couple more strong games.

-Scoring Draughts

The Knicks and Hornets each went on extended scoring droughts, and the other was able to take advantage. To start the game, the Hornets their first nine shots, not scoring until 7:31 remained in the first quarter, as the Knicks were able to open up a 9-0 lead to begin the game.

The Hornets were able to get some retribution in the third quarter though, as the Knicks had a scoring drought of their own in the third quarter. The Knicks led 54-47 with 5:26 left in the third quarter, but didn’t score again until 11:33 left in the fourth quarter. Over that span the Hornets went on a 10-0 run to regain the lead for the first time in the game. They never looked back, as the Knicks were never able to regain the lead, only tying it at 69 with 2:39 left on a Hardaway Jr. three-pointer.

Those were the biggest draughts in the game, but just taking a look at the final score will show that the whole game was essentially a scoring drought in today’s NBA.

-Free Throw Disparity

Like the shooting from the field, the shooting at the free throw line was not pretty. The Knicks shot an unsightly 9-18 from the charity stripe, good for an ugly 50 percent. The Hornets were the clear aggressors in the game, attempting 37 foul shots, but they also struggled to convert, making only 24, equaling 64.9 percent.

-10-Day Contract Players Success Continues

More from New York Knicks

• New York Knicks Fall to Eighth After NBA Draft Lottery
• New York Knicks: Players to Draft in Worst-Case Lottery Scenario
• New York Knicks: Three Players Who Should Thrive Under Tom Thibodeau
• Is Devin Booker to the New York Knicks Realistic?
• New York Knicks: Tom Thibodeau Officially Hired as Head Coach

The Knicks may not have gotten the victory tonight, but the three unlikeliest of starters, Louis Amundson, Lance Thomas and Langston Galloway, all played strong games yet again.

For the fourth straight game, Amundson and Galloway were in the starting lineup and both provided strong performance. Amundson was tasked with slowing down Al Jefferson, which got him into foul trouble as he fouled out in 22 minutes. He stuffed the stat sheet prior to that though, scoring seven points with eight rebounds, one assists, one steal and one block. Galloway also had a full stat line, finishing with 11 points, five rebounds, two assists and one steal.

Thomas was inserted into the starting lineup because Anthony was resting, and he ended up playing the most minutes on the team with 41. He responded with a good game, scoring 16 points on 7-14 from the field and 2-4 from the foul line, pulling down eight rebounds to go with three assists, one steal and one block.

Next: 5 Takeaways From First Half of New York Knicks' Season