Vegas Play of the Day: Knicks at Hornets
Knicks rookie Kristaps Porzingis hit what appeared to be a game-winning 3-pointer as time expired, but officials determined the ball left his hands after the buzzer sounded. Center Spencer Hawks found Zeller going back door and delivered a flawless pass.
So, why are they getting seven points at Charlotte in a game they should win straight up? 500 mark for the first time this year. They have won four of their past five after an 0-3 start. This will be a huge confidence boost to the bench and the team as they were able to pull off the win against a good NY Knicks team. But it wasn’t quite enough, as Nicolas Batum (24 points) turned in an all-around performance and Chalotte’s Jeremys (Lin and Lamb) combined for 32 points off the bench.
Anthony finished with 29 points on 12 for 25 shooting. Galloway ended with 15 points while Thomas added 17 as he went 3 for 3 from downtown.
The Knicks were at full strength for the first time with the debut of Arron Afflalo, who has been dealing with hamstring problems since the second day of training camp. New York, who are 3-1 away from home, are playing their best basketball on the road. It was originally ruled Knicks’ possession but a replay review gave the Hornets the ball – a foreshadowing of what was to come.
NY led 27-18 after one-quarter of play with Afflalo and Porzingis great play early on.
This game may cause coach Clifford to play around with his rotations a bit more and consider giving more minutes to Lin and Lamb down the stretch for the team going forward. Afflalo replaced G Sasha Vujacic in the starting lineup…. They already showed they are capable of adjustments, as they lost three games in a row last week to playoff teams that imposed their will in the fourth quarter, but defeated the Toronto Raptors in a similar situation last night.
It was a heartbreaking way to lose after the Knicks had built multiple double-digit leads throughout the night, showing once again that they are built to fight for 48 minutes. Knicks associate head coach Kurt Rambis was an original Hornet. Walker is now leading his team with 16 points and five assists per game.
Emotions will be running high with Afflalo’s return, but the Knicks can’t take their eye off the ball.