Hornets Recap: Swarm Comfortably Handle Knicks In NYC

The Charlotte Hornets are on a tear at the moment. Winning yet again tonight, the Swarm have now won eight of their last 10 games and sit just a half-game behind the Brooklyn Nets for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.

More importantly, the win against the Knicks secured the Hornets a spot in the play-in tournament at the conclusion of the regular season. This will be the Swarm’s second consecutive postseason endeavor. This one will hopefully last a little longer than last season’s disappointing first-game exit.

As for the game itself, the Hornets had a hyper-efficient night from the field. Shooting 54.4% as a team, Charlotte also connected on 15 of their 17 free throw attempts. These highly-effective numbers were primarily due to the 39(!) assists the Hornets dished as a squad.

LaMelo Ball led the way with 20 points and 15 of those assists. Miles Bridges had a game-high 31 points on 11-15 shooting from the field and 4-4 three-point shooting. Kelly Oubre provided a much-needed spark off the bench. Dropping in 21 points in 23 minutes, Oubre connected on 8-11 of his shots and sank four triples on the night.

This is the kind of game that the Hornets needed to win. On the road, it was not going to be easy, but they found a way to get it done comfortably in the end. The Knicks jacked 44 triples on the night, which accounted for 51.7% of their total shot attempts.

Whenever a team attempts that many triples, they are usually struggling to find an identity on offense. Full credit goes to Charlotte’s swarming defense; they forced New York into tough looks from deep all night in their home arena.

With the March portion of the schedule complete, the Hornets have a five-game April schedule to finish before they set their sights on postseason basketball. Next up, they travel to Philadelphia to battle the 76ers on Saturday, April 2.