Knicks at Hornets
Carmelo Anthony had a vintage performance to keep the New York Knicks rolling at home and he will try to duplicate that effort on Saturday night when the Knicks aim to sweep a home-and-home set with the host Charlotte Hornets. Anthony capped a 35-point, 14-rebound night with a turnaround jumper with 3.1 seconds left in overtime to lift New York to a 113-111 win over the Hornets at Madison Square Garden on Friday.
It was the Knicks' sixth straight home win, their fifth victory in six games overall and pushed the resurgent club over .500 for the first time this season. Derrick Rose and Kristaps Porzingis added 16 points apiece for New York, which will try to maintain the momentum on the road, where it is just 1-5. The Hornets have lost four in a row, including two in overtime and another by five points in regulation to the vaunted San Antonio Spurs. Marco Bellinelli led Charlotte with 19 points off the bench in Friday's loss, burying 5-of-6 3-pointers to bump his mark beyond the arc to 49.2 percent.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, MSG (New York), FSN Southeast (Charlotte)
ABOUT THE KNICKS (8-7): Center Joakim Noah returned to the lineup after missing two games with an illness and hauled in eight rebounds in 18 minutes. Coach Jeff Hornacek said that Noah's minutes will be limited until he is back to full strength but backup big man Willy Hernangomez continues to help fill voids along the front line, picking up six points and nine boards versus Charlotte. The rookie is averaging 7.3 points on 71.4 percent shooting and seven rebounds in the last three games.
ABOUT THE HORNETS (8-7): A bright spot in Friday's loss was the solid return of center Cody Zeller, who shook off a three-game absence due to a shoulder injury to score 15 points and grab six rebounds in 23 minutes. Nicolas Batum added 18 points and leading scorer Kemba Walker had 17 but they were a combined 1-of-12 from 3-point range while reserve forward Frank Kaminsky was 1-of-7. Forward Marvin Williams suffered a hyperextended left knee in the third quarter and did not return to the game.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Charlotte has won five straight meetings at home.
2. Batum has played 85 total minutes over the last two games.
3. The Knicks are 0-3 in the second game of a back-to-back, while the Hornets are 0-2.