After Victor Wembanyama, it was Brandon Miller’s turn to discover Madison Square Garden, and the number 2 in the Draft impressed in the first quarter with 11 points in 10 minutes. Except that after his 5th basket of the match, the Charlotte rookie fell on the foot of Josh Hart. We won’t see him again during the match…
Result, LaMelo Ball, as strong as he is, finds himself alone in scoring, and the Knicks, thanks to Jalen Brunson, then Immanuel Quickley at the buzzer, take the opportunity to make a mini-break (32-27). No Hornet manages to support Ball, and even if the All-Star point guard scores 10 points in a row, the depth of the squad makes the difference.
LaMelo Ball desperately alone
Better, we find the real Julius Randle, whether in the finish to score on Mark Williams, or in creation with a nice inside pass for Mitchell Robinson (56-43). RJ Barrett rewards us with a big dunk after a great collective action, and it is again Ball who limits the damage with only 10 points behind at the break (64-54).
Returning from the locker room, Quentin Grimes plants two 3-pointers in a row, and the gap increases to +17 (74-57). Without being great, the Knicks push the Hornets to take complicated shots, and the gap increases: 82-59! In less than five minutes, New York signed an 18-5 with a Hornets defense far too wide to protect the central corridor. Ball continues to fuel the brand, and he provokes a few “ohs” from the New York public.
But Donte DiVincenzo takes out the slap box, then Randle goes for the and-1 (99-79). At the start of the fourth quarter, Josh Hart drove home the point, and the 12-minute garbage time allowed the Knicks to win 129-107 and sign a third large victory in a row.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– First points for Jericho Sims. The matches go by, and despite the scenario of this meeting, Tom Thibodeau left Evan Fournier on the bench the entire meeting. The Frenchman is the only one not to come into play, while Jericho Sims took the opportunity to score his first points this season.
– Miles Bridges back soon. Before the meeting, Steve Clifford announced that Miles Bridges would undoubtedly make his return on the pitch this week. It would be at home on Friday against the Bucks. Suspended 10 matches by the NBA for domestic violence, Bridges failed to comply with his judicial review twice, and he was briefly incarcerated in October, before being released on bail.
