Hornets at Knicks
The Charlotte Hornets look to continue their recent surge when they stay on the road to face the New York Knicks on Saturday afternoon. The Hornets have reeled off four straight wins since dropping their previous five and are coming off an impressive 103-95 triumph over the Atlantic Division-leading Toronto Raptors on Thursday. Charlotte hopes to pour more misery on the Knicks by avenging two straight defeats at Madison Square Garden - including a 96-93 setback on Nov. 2.
New York can't fall much further as it leads the NBA in losses with 34 following the 120-96 defeat to the Houston Rockets on Thursday. The Knicks have set franchise records for futility at every turn, dropping 11 consecutive games at home and 14 straight overall during a brutal stretch where they have lost 24 of their last 25. "I see frustration, I see disappointment and none of us are enjoying losing at all," coach Derek Fisher told reporters. "But I don't think that means our veteran players aren't trying as hard."
TV: 1 p.m. ET, SportSouth (Charlotte), MSG Network (New York)
ABOUT THE HORNETS (14-24): Kemba Walker continues to tear apart opposing defenses as he collected 29 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and three steals in the win over the Raptors. Gerald Henderson added a season-high 31 points while Michael Kidd-Gilchrist scored 10 points to go along with 12 rebounds for his fourth double-double in the last five games. Cody Zeller sat out Thursday's victory with a strained right shoulder and is questionable for Saturday while Al Jefferson missed his sixth straight game with a groin injury and will be sidelined for another month.
ABOUT THE KNICKS (5-34): Carmelo Anthony has missed five consecutive games with a knee problem and isn't likely to suit up until next week at the earliest while Andrea Bargnani (calf) and Amar'e Stoudemire (knee) have sat out four and eight games, respectively, with no timetable for their return. Travis Wear scored a career-high 21 points while Langston Galloway - who was called up from NBA D-League on Tuesday - added a personal-best 19 in the loss to the Rockets. New York's bench players outscored the starters 70-26 as Fisher pulled the majority of his starting five early in the third quarter.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Hornets have committed the fewest turnovers in the NBA at 11 per game.
2. Walker is averaging 31 points in his last four outings.
3. The Knicks haven't won at home since beating the Philadelphia 76ers on Nov. 22.