Hornets at Knicks
The New York Knicks have made a recent hot stretch a thing of the past and gave their fans little to cheer about Saturday at Madison Square Garden. They won't have to wait long to receive the chance to turn things around in front of the home crowd when they host the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday.
Leading scorer Tim Hardaway Jr. scored seven points on 2-of-12 shooting as the Knicks dropped a 112-104 decision to Brooklyn on Saturday, their fifth loss in six games. "I was searching that whole game for a lineup that could just, you know, compete defensively and move the ball offensively," New York coach David Fizdale told reporters after his team fell behind by 17 points after three quarters. "We were in mud for pretty much two and a half, three quarters of that game." The Hornets snapped their three-game slide with a 113-107 home win over Denver on Friday. Kemba Walker finished with 21 points and eight assists as Charlotte utilized a season-high 34 made free throws to pick up its first victory in four tries against a Western Conference opponent.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FS Southeast (Charlotte), MSG (New York)
ABOUT THE HORNETS (12-13): Charlotte's starters were a combined 13-for-41 in the win over Denver, while the bench - led by Tony Parker's 19 points in 22 minutes - provided a big boost. "The bigger the moment, the better he is," forward Marvin Williams told reporters of Parker. "He's a champion and he has experience in those situations, and it's great to have a teammate like that." Williams chipped in 14 points and 10 rebounds for his third double-double, all recorded in his last six games.
ABOUT THE KNICKS (8-19): Guard Frank Ntilikina had not played a single minute over the previous three games before getting a late opportunity on Saturday and leading a late comeback while finishing with seven points in 16 minutes. Fizdale admitted after the game that he still had no idea what Sunday's plan would be for the second-year pro, who has fallen out of favor after showing glimpses of potential during the stretch run last season. Enes Kanter carried the load in the loss to the Nets with 23 points and 14 rebounds for his third straight double-double.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Hardaway missed all five of his 3-point tries against the Nets after going 10-for-22 over his previous two games.
2. Hornets PF Frank Kaminsky is averaging 13.3 points this month after posting 6.3 per game in November and 1.3 in limited action in October.
3. The home team has won each of the last seven meetings.