November 11, 2015, Queens, NY The New York Knicks got nipped by the Charlotte Hornets tonight, 95-93. The score was tied at 93, with 2.2 seconds on the clock when the Hornets in-bounded the ball underneath their own basket. The Hornets’ Spencer Hawes got the ball to Cody Zeller who put in a bunny to win the game. The loss dropped the Knicks to 4-5.
Carmelo Anthony led all scorers with 29 points. Kristaps Porzingis scored 10 points and snared 15 boards to go with 2 blocks. Porzingis appeared to hit a game-winning trey with no time left on the clock, but it was determined that he didn’t get the shot off in time. Robin Lopez scored zero points in 31 minutes, taking only three shots. Arron Afflalo making his Knicks season debut added 12 points. Nicolas Batum poured in 24 points for the Hornets, and former Knick Jeremy Lin scored 17 off the bench. Bronx-bred Kemba Walker shot 2-11, for 9 points.
Every quarter was dominated by one team over the other. The Knicks led after the first quarter, 27-18, only to be outscored in the second quarter 31-20, making the score 49-47 in favor of the Hornets by halftime.
The pendulum swung back to the Knicks in the third quarter, as they outscored the Hornets, 32-20, to go up 79-69, heading into the final quarter. With a ten-point lead, it seemed as if the Knicks were headed for their fourth road win, but they were outscored 26-14.
The Knicks shot 48.8% from the field but performed horribly from beyond the arc, shooting just 19% on 4 for 21 shooting. The Knicks outrebounded the Hornets 52-33, which would normally translate to a victory based on the disparity; however, the Hornets went to the line 28 times compared with the Knicks who only got 7 free throw attempts.
The Knicks head home to face the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday. The Garden will be packed with Lebron James coming to the Big Apple. The game will air on the MSG Network.
Professor Clifford Benton can be reached at @cliffordbenton.