What: Charlotte Hornets (10-34) (5-16 home) vs New York Knicks (29-17) (13-12 away)

When: 7:00pm Eastern

Where: Spectrum Center; Charlotte, NC

How to watch: Bally Sports Southeast, NBA League Pass

Outfitting: Hornets–Icon (teal), Knicks–Association (white)

Game Lines: Hornets +7.5, O/U 223.5

Injuries:
Hornets: LaMelo Ball-questionable (ankle), Frank Ntilikina-questionable (hip), Gordon Hayward-out (calf), Mark Williams-out (back)

Knicks: Julius Randle-out (shoulder), Mitchell Robinson-out (ankle)

The Knicks have been one of the hottest teams in the NBA in 2024. They are 12-2 since acquiring OG Anunoby in exchange for RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley. Early returns on that trade seem promising for the Knicks. In the almost 500 minutes that Anunoby has been on the floor for the Knicks, they’ve outscored opponents by 25.3 points per 100 possessions. The offense with him on the floor has been elite while the defense has been impenetrable.

Anunoby hasn’t been the only good player for the Knicks during the winning streak. Both Julius Randle (who’s out tonight) and Jalen Brunson are playing some of the best ball of their careers. Both are averaging over 24 points per game and Brunson probably has a case to have been named an All Star starter for the first time in his career.

Since the trade, the Knicks have the ninth best offense and the very best defense in the league. On paper, it looks like the Hornets have no shot. It’s a very similar matchup to the one against the Timberwolves that the Hornets surprisingly won despite 62 points from Karl-Anthony Towns. Perhaps the momentum from the almost comeback against the Jazz and the motivation of playing a good team will be enough for the Hornets to play with some focus and intensity that’s been badly lacking in their recent losses.

It’s the fourth and final meeting of the season between these two teams. The Knicks have taken all three of the previous meetings in rather convincing fashion. The most competitive game was in Spectrum Center back in mid-November when the Hornets were as close to healthy as they’ve been all season. LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, and Miles Bridges all had big games but got almost no support from the rest of the squad. That’ll probably be the recipe for a Hornets win tonight if Ball is able to suit up.