The New York Knicks are set to face the Charlotte Hornets in a matchup of last week’s thriller that came down to a Kristaps Porzingis three.
New York Knicks (5-6)
Charlotte Hornets (5-5)
Tuesday, November 17, 7:30 PM
Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
By Chip Murphy
The New York Knicks beating the severely depleted New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday afternoon was not a win to brag about. They were thrashed by superstar Anthony Davis and had the Pels been at full strength the result may have been different then, 95-87. Tonight they face a different challenge.
The Charlotte Hornets are in the same spot as the Knicks. They are hungry for a spot in the playoffs. There is nothing spectacular about the Hornets but they have individual talents that can make a difference.
This is the second game of the season between these two evenly matched teams. The first, in Charlotte, was won by the home team despite the Knicks shooting much better from the field. Hornets center Al Jefferson struggled to just 2 of 10, while Carmelo Anthony had 29 points. Unfortunately it took 25 attempts for him to get there. Despite the Knicks hot shooting, they were severly beaten at the free-throw line (28 attempts to 7), which has become a common theme this season.
The Knicks should have beaten the Hornets the first time out. They inexplicably let Cody Zeller get open for a go ahead layup with .06 seconds left to give Charlotte the lead before Kristaps Porzingis made a three point shot at the buzzer that was called off.
The Knicks won the matchup on the boards in game one handily, 52-33, and should look to exploit a weakness that the Hornets clearly have.
Al Jefferson likely won’t have two bad games in a row against the same team and Robin Lopez will need to bring his best game tonight to stop the former Celtic. Former Knick Jeremy Lin returns to the Garden as a Hornet having developed chemistry with his current reserve back court mate Jeremy Lamb. Lamb is in the midst of a breakout season and the matchup to watch tonight should be Lin and Lamb vs. Langston Galloway and Jerian Grant.
This is a game that the Knicks should win – a rematch of last week’s game with the same starting lineups except this time it’s at the Garden. New York will have no excuses.
A first look at @carmeloanthony‘s jersey for tonight’s #TurnbackTuesday contest! https://t.co/ELDHb4zDF1 pic.twitter.com/PccqsQyqI4
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) November 17, 2015
#Knicks welcome Charlotte to @TheGarden for a rematch of last week’s thriller. PREVIEW https://t.co/qC2m2cF7W4 pic.twitter.com/ffAgV3qP86 — NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) November 17, 2015
Same starters, per Coach Fisher: @JmCalderon3 Arron Afflalo @carmeloanthony @kporzee @rolopez42 #NYKvsCHA — NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) November 17, 2015
