The New York Knicks (12-13, 6-6 Away), one of the NBA’s top shooting defenses, head to face the Charlotte Hornets (7-18, 4-8 Home) on Friday. New York blew out the Atlanta Hawks 113-89 at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday. Julius Randle was the key player with 34 points, 17 rebounds, and five assists. The Knicks are the 10th seed in the Eastern Conference.
Charlotte dropped their third in a row on Wednesday at Barclays Center, falling to the Brooklyn Nets 122-116. Terry Rozier led the team in scoring in the losing effort with 29 points. With 28 points and eight rebounds, Kelly Oubre Jr. also impressed. The Hornets are 13th in the Eastern Conference.It’s the last meeting of the season between the teams.
New York will be seeking a season sweep against Charlotte after getting the win in the only prior game 134-131 in overtime at Madison Square Garden on October 26. Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 27 points, 13 assists, and seven rebounds.
Gordon Hayward had 21 points in defeat. The Knicks have been led this season by Randle and Brunson, who are averaging 21.6 and 20.5 points per game, respectively. Both are among the NBA’s top scorers, as Randle is No. 1 and Brunson is first. Randle also has grabbed 8.8 rebounds per game, most in the league, while Brunson has dished 6.2 assists per game, most in the NBA.
Oubre Jr. (20.4 ppg) has been the primary provider of the Hornets’ offense. He has the top scoring average in the league. Mason Plumlee is averaging 9.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game, placing him first and first in the league, respectively.
The Knicks are holding opponents to one of the worst FG% in the NBA, ranking third at 44.9%.The Knicks are only 2-8 in their last 10 visits to Spectrum Center.
New York is 4-6 in the last 10 games with an average margin of +1.0 (112.5-111.5). Charlotte has gone 3-7 over the last 10, allowing 117.4 points per game on average while scoring only 110.5 (-6.9 margin).
KNICKS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Quentin Grimes: 17.6 | 11.4 | +6.2
Points per game:
Cam Reddish: 3.0 | 8.4 | -5.4
Rebounds per game:
Mitchell Robinson: 12.0 | 7.8 | +4.2
Assists per game:
Julius Randle: 4.4 | 3.5 | +0.9
Jalen Brunson: 4.6 | 6.2 | -1.6
HORNETS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Jalen McDaniels: 23.6 | 17.5 | +6.1
Points per game:
Jalen McDaniels: 16.4 | 10.5 | +5.9
SportsTips’ NBA Pick:
Charlotte Hornets (+125)
Want up to a $1K risk free bet for this pick?
Claim with 
today!
If you need more news, information and predictions, head over to our NBA hub page for all your basketball needs!
*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
