Seventh consecutive Knicks victory – the longest streak not only this season, but in recent years for the Big Apple team – riding an excellent RJ Barrett (scoring 18 of his 24 points in the third quarter alone) beats the Hornets in a fundamental direct match in the run to the playoffs and thus climbing to 5th place in the East. There are 17 points each from Derrick Rose and Immanuel Quickley coming off the bench, 16 with 10 rebounds and 7 assists for Julius Randle.
To condemn Charlotte instead are the offensive difficulties of a team that in the second half scores 31 points overall, failing to go beyond the 26 points of PJ Washington coming off the bench (sixth player in the history of the Hornets in the last 25 years with a first half from 20+ points by entering the parquet during the race in progress). Terry Rozier adds 21 with 8/17 shooting, while rookie Vernon Carey Jr.’s race lasts only 3 minutes, despite the start in the quintet (replaced in the second half by Washington).