NBA

New York Knicks at Charlotte Hornets

· NBA Cup - Group Play
11-8, 6-6 Away
Final
99 - 98

6-13, 5-6 Home

Jalen Brunson pours in 31 points as Knicks hold on to beat the Hornets 99-98 in NBA Cup play

KJ Simpson rocks the rim with jam

Karl-Anthony Towns added 19 points and 12 rebounds for the Knicks, who entered the game 23 points behind the Orlando Magic in point differential in Group A and in need of a blowout win. The Magic are 2-0 in group play and visit Brooklyn on Friday night.

Brandon Miller had 20 points and Josh Green added 15 points for the Hornets, who played without three starters, including the red-hot LaMelo Ball, Miles Bridges and Mark Williams, as well as key reserves Nick Richards, Tre Mann and Grant Williams.

The Knicks committed eight turnovers in the first quarter and were held to 15 points.

Takeaways Knicks: New York played sloppy and uninspired basketball in the first half. The Knicks took the lead in the last minute, but it was short-lived as Josh Green hit a jumper to take the lead back, then proceeded to steal a lazy inbounds pass from Mikal Bridges and turn around to hit a fading jumper as time expired.

Hornets: Ball, who came in averaging 40.3 points per game over his previous four outings, sat out with left calf soreness. Head coach Charles Lee said Ball felt something toward the end of Wednesday night's 98-94 loss to the Miami Heat. He offered no updates on when Ball may return to the lineup.

Key moment Brunson's mid-range jumper with 4:50 left put the Knicks ahead for good.

Key stat Miller was 7 of 25 from the field and 2 of 11 from beyond the arc.

Up next The Knicks host the Pelicans on Sunday. The Hornets host the Hawks on Saturday night.

Regular Season Series

NY leads series 1-0

Matchup Prediction

Hornets: 21.9%
Knicks: 78.1%
*According to ESPN's Basketball Power Index

Recent Plays

4th 0.0 End of Game 99 - 98
4th 0.0 End of the 4th Quarter 99 - 98
4th 0.0 (00:00) [Knicks] REF-INITIATED REVIEW (REPLAY SUPPORTS CALL) 99 - 98
4th 0.0 Josh Green makes 23-foot three point jumper (Cody Martin assists) 99 - 98
4th 3.1 Brandon Miller offensive rebound 99 - 95

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nba/500/ny.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originNY https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nba/500/cha.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originCHA
36-81 FG 36-89
44.4 Field Goal % 40.4
12-32 3PT 15-47
37.5 Three Point % 31.9
15-19 FT 11-15
78.9 Free Throw % 73.3
44 Rebounds 39
12 Offensive Rebounds 14
32 Defensive Rebounds 25
20 Assists 25
7 Steals 8
5 Blocks 6
19 Turnovers 13
2 Team Turnovers 2
21 Total Turnovers 15
0 Technical Fouls 1
0 Total Technical Fouls 1
0 Flagrant Fouls 1
31 Points Conceded Off Turnovers 21
9 Fast Break Points 7
44 Points in Paint 28
19 Fouls 19
6 Largest Lead 10

Game Information

Spectrum Center

Location: Charlotte, NC
Attendance: 19,313 · Capacity:

2024-25 Atlantic Standings

TEAM W L PCT GB STRK
Boston 49 19 .721 - W2
New York 42 24 .636 6 L1
Toronto 24 44 .353 25 L1
Philadelphia 23 44 .343 25.5 W1
Brooklyn 23 45 .338 26 W1

2024-25 Southeast Standings

TEAM W L PCT GB STRK
Atlanta 32 36 .471 - L2
Orlando 32 37 .464 0.5 W1
Miami 29 38 .433 2.5 L7
Charlotte 17 50 .254 14.5 L1
Washington 15 51 .227 16 W2
Full Standings

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