Ball, Hornets use balanced scoring to beat Knicks

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — LaMelo Ball had 25 points and five Charlotte players scored in double figures as the Hornets beat the New York Knicks 115-98 Thursday night for their fourth victory in seven games.

Ball added eight assists as teammates Mark Williams (19 points, 14 rebounds), Miles Bridges (15 points, 10 rebounds), DaQuan Jeffries (14 points) and Nick Smith, Jr. (13 points) also reached double figures.

Charlotte snapped a two-game skid that included losses of more than 30 points. The Hornets have lost five games by 30 or more points in the last month.

Charlotte (18-51) took the lead for good late in the first quarter and led by as many as 19 points.

O.G. Anunoby scored 25 points and Karl-Anthony Towns added 24 points, 10 rebounds for the Knicks, who have lost three of their last four games and six of their last nine.

Takeaways

Knicks: New York fans have always had a presence when the team plays in Charlotte, dating to the large number of fans who attended games at the old Charlotte Coliseum in playoff series in 1993 and 1997. But, the cheers of Knicks’ fans Thursday were so loud you’d have thought the game was at Madison Square Garden, particularly in the third quarter by the loud boos when Towns was whistled for a technical foul.

Hornets: Charlotte beat the Knicks for the first time since Dec. 5, 2024, snapping a streak of six straight losses.

Key moment

After New York closed within 92-81 with 7:39 left, Charlotte responded with a 13-8 surge, fueled by baskets from Josh Green, Smith and Ball to take a 108-91 lead with 3:03 remaining.

Key stat

Charlotte converted 15 of 32 3-pointers, with Ball going 5 for 10 and Jeffries at 3 for 5.

Up next

The Knicks host Washington on Saturday. The Hornets play at Oklahoma City on Friday.

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