The Charlotte Hornets Defeat the New York Knicks, 95-93, on a Cody Zeller Game Winner

The Charlotte Hornets defeated the New York Knicks, 95-93, in a close game that came down all the way to the final buzzer. This win give the Hornets a (4-4) record on the season and marks the first time that they have been at .500 this year. Charlotte won the intense game on a Cody Zeller game winning layup that came off of an inbounds pass with less than a second left in the game.

This game did not lack any drama. The Knicks rookie big man, Kristaps Porzingis, knocked down a three-point shot at the buzzer with only 0.6 seconds left in the game to win the game for New York. The play was reviewed after and it was determined that the ball was still on his fingertips when the buzzer went off.

The Charlotte Hornets were led by their bench and second unit for most of the game as the starters continued to struggle once again. Kemba Walker and Al Jefferson weren’t even on the floor for the team down the stretch of the fourth quarter.

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Instead, the bench unit led by Nicolas Batum, Marvin Williams, Jeremy Lin, Jeremy Lamb, and Cody Zeller closed out the game and got the win for the team. The second unit brought all kinds of aggression, energy, and intensity into the game and were the main reason why the Hornets won this one.

Carmelo Anthony led the Knicks for most of the night and especially in the second half when him and Batum were trading baskets on both ends of the floor. Anthony finished with 29 points, four assists, and six rebounds on the night. He looked like he would will his team to victory until the Hornets second unit found a way to close the deficit and win the game.

Charlotte was led by Nicolas Batum, who easily had his best game as a Hornet, and finished with 24 points and five rebounds on 10 of 18 shooting from the field.

The Hornets bench were huge in this game once again as they racked up 45 points, 12 assists, and 16 rebounds on 16 of 30 shooting from the floor.

Jeremy Lin finished with 17 points and three assists on 7 of 11 shooting. Lamb tallied 14 points, four assists, and four rebounds on 6 of 10 shooting from the floor along with a couple of three pointers.

It was interesting to see the second unit close out the game with Batum and Williams because even when the starters have struggled this season, coach Clifford still seems to go with them down the stretch. But this time he finished with Jeremy Lin, Jeremy Lamb, Nicolas Batum, Marvin Williams, and Cody Zeller on the floor and he gave them positive results. This will be a huge confidence boost to the bench and the team as they were able to pull off the win against a good New York Knicks team.

This game may cause coach Clifford to play around with his rotations a bit more and consider giving more minutes to Lin and Lamb down the stretch for the team going forward.

Highlight of the Night:

Tweet of the Night:

"Quick Stings"

• Cody Zeller finished with 12 points and four rebounds with 15 shots from the free throw line.
• Big Al and Kemba combined for 15 points on 4-21 shooting from the floor.
• Aaron Afflalo made his season debut for the Knicks and racked up 12 points and six rebounds.
• Knicks rookie, Kristaps Porzingis, scored 10 points to go along with 15 rebounds.
• The Charlotte Hornets scored 40 points in the paint compared to the Knicks 28.
• The Hornets only committed five turnovers for the game while forcing New York to commit 17 TO.
• Charlotte was out-rebounded by the Knicks 52-33.

The Charlotte Hornets will next play on Friday, November 13th against the Chicago Bulls in Chicago. They have already had success against the Bulls before this season with a 130-105 thumping of Chicago just a little over a week ago. The Bulls with look to get revenge on the Hornets for that game. Charlotte will look to do more of the same that they did last time out.

Next: The Charlotte Hornets Will Make the Playoffs.

The Charlotte Hornets seemed as though they couldn’t miss a shot last time they took on the Bulls but this one probably won’t be like their last match-up. Chicago will be at home this time and want to win in front of their own fans. But after two straight wins the Hornets will be hungry for a third straight win.

Check back with Swarm and Sting for the latest news and analysis on the Charlotte Hornets.