One team will snap a long losing streak Friday when the Charlotte Hornets host the New York Knicks in a matchup of sliding squads. The Hornets have dropped 10 straight dating to Nov. 14, while the Knicks lost their sixth straight Thursday, falling 90-87 to visiting Cleveland. New York has lost eight straight on the road since beating the Cavaliers in its first road trip of the season.
The Hornets entered the season with high hopes after ending their playoff drought last season, but they've been unable to close out close games, losing nine contests by nine points or fewer. "It's a long season," Hornets point guard Kemba Walker told reporters. "I am loving the fact that we're still fighting, that we're still working hard to win." The Knicks beat the Hornets 96-93 on Nov. 2 in New York to move to 2-1, but they've lost 15 of 17 since.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, MSG (New York), SportSouth (Charlotte)
ABOUT THE KNICKS (4-16): New York won't win many games when star Carmelo Anthony (22.7 points, 6.3 rebounds) plays like he did against the Cavaliers, as he was held to a season-low nine points on 4-of-19 shooting and went scoreless in the fourth quarter. Veteran big man Amar'e Stoudemire (13.1 points, 7.9 rebounds) and second-year guard Tim Hardaway Jr. (8.8 points) combined for 38 points to pick up the slack, but the Knicks need Anthony in command in the fourth quarter to win close games. They also need reserve guard J.R. Smith (9.2 points) to get it going — he is more than five points below last season's average and on pace for his lowest-scoring campaign since his second year in the league in 2005-06.
ABOUT THE HORNETS (4-15): Winning the battle on the boards is a bellwether for the Hornets — they're 0-12 when they are outrebounded — which is good news against a New York team that ranks near the bottom of the NBA on the glass. One of the big keys to owning the boards for Charlotte is the play of center Al Jefferson (19.6 points, 7.5 rebounds), who has scored in double figures in eight straight games and 43 of his last 44 in the regular season. Walker (14.5 points, 5.6 assists) kept the Hornets in the game with a huge third quarter against Chicago, and Lance Stephenson (10.1 points, 7.7 rebounds, 5.4 assists) scored a career-high 20 points, an effort he might have to duplicate if reserve guard Gary Neal (12.3 points) misses a fifth straight game with a shoulder sprain.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Charlotte is 1-6 when leading after three quarters.
2. Anthony has failed to score in double figures only 24 times in 808 career regular-season games and never in consecutive contests.
3. The Hornets tied a franchise-low with five turnovers against Chicago, the fifth time in the last eight games they have had seven or fewer.