The New York Knicks are heading into Thanksgiving on a high note.
Fresh off a 113-100 win over their crosstown rival, the Brooklyn Nets, on Monday, the New York Knicks headed to North Carolina looking to keep their NBA Cup hopes alive. They did exactly that, rolling to a dominant 129-101 victory over the reeling Charlotte Hornets.
New York set the tone early with a scoring surge. The Knicks jumped out to a 37-31 lead after the first quarter, fueled by Jalen Brunson slicing up the Hornets’ defense and even drawing MVP chants on the road before finishing the game with 33 points throughout 34 minutes. Twenty of the Knicks’ first-quarter points came in the paint, a sign of just how easily they were getting whatever look they wanted.
Josh Hart matched the moment with one of his strongest showings of the season, pouring in 19 first-half points. For context, his previous season high was 18, a mark he cleared before halftime on Wednesday night.
Head coach Mike Brown also rolled out an intriguing starting lineup. Brunson, Mikal Bridges, and Karl-Anthony Towns held their usual spots, while Hart earned his second straight start and Deuce McBride cracked the opening five. Mitchell Robinson came off the bench and subbed in for Towns after eight minutes into the first quarter.
New York really broke the game open in the second quarter, taking a massive 72-47 lead entering the break.
The Knickerbockers also made NBA history in North Carolina, as all five Knicks starters scored in double figures by halftime, becoming the first team to do so since the 1997-1998 NBA season, when the league started tracking halftime and quarter stats.
After a blowout road victory over Charlotte, New York will head home and wrap up their NBA Cup group-play slate on Friday, hosting the Milwaukee Bucks. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 pm ET.
