The match: Charlotte was not there
If the Charlotte Hornets had not quite given up hope of making it to the play-offs yet, provided the end of the regular season was a little crazy in the East, they took a hell of a blow on the head on Saturday evening at Madison Square Garden, at the New York Knicks (124-101). While Jeff Hornacek’s men had not won for nine matches, the franchise chaired by Michael Jordan made it far too difficult for itself by failing to find any semblance of address (36%).
The debates were balanced only during the first quarter, won by the visitors (22-24). The activity of Dwight Howard (14 points, 13 rebounds) ultimately did not allow visitors to stay in the game. Driven by Tim Hardaway Jr. (25 points at 4/6 at 3 points), Trey Burke (14 points, 5 assists) and a record Frank Ntilikina (see elsewhere), the Knicks dug a first gap at the break (57-50) before definitely flying away after the restart (99-67, 36th).
The last quarter allowed the public to ignite on the arabesques of Burke while Steve Clifford quickly called on his players from the end of the bench, which did not change the score.
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8
The New York Knicks lost only one ball in the first two quarters. A good mastery confirmed at the end of the third period (4). The last act, more messy, inflated the statistics for a very respectable total (8).
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The Frenchie: personal record for Frank Ntilikina
Frustrated two days earlier against the Philadelphia Sixers, against whom he (too) often played at a back position, Frank Ntilikina took responsibility for the ball rising against Charlotte. Voluntary and aggressive, the playmaker did not hesitate to try his luck, especially from a distance.
Author of 7 points at the break, 9 after three quarters, Ntilikina took advantage of the clear advantage of the Knicks in scoring to beat his record for points in a match (15 points at 5/8, 3 rebounds, 3 assists), with in flagship action a three-point basket embellished with a fault. If the public appreciated the rookie’s performance, Jeff Hornacek was not as generous since he did not want to leave the Frenchman on the field at the end of the match.
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