Daily Report – 3/27/26
Knicks
It was a mismatch from the start. An energy mismatch.
People in Charlotte were calling it the biggest Knicks-Hornets game in 25 years. People in Charlotte. And the Hornets, who are on pace to make the playoffs after finishing with the second-lowest record in the Eastern Conference last season, were ready for the moment.
The Knicks… not so much.
It was awfully reminiscent of how the Knicks have fared against the Detroit Pistons this season: A younger, faster, fresh-from-the-gutter club demolishing a Knicks team that doesn’t care as much. The Knicks might not know it, but by losing 114-103 to Charlotte, they helped a young Hornets team garner the confidence necessary for a long postseason run – and perhaps an even better finish next season.
Charlotte is energized by young Kon Knueppel, a 20-year-old rookie from Duke who needs eight more triples to break Kemba Walker’s single-season Hornets record. Knueppel also leads the NBA with 250 made three-pointers, and while Charlotte won its fifth straight game last night, the Knicks’ seven-game win streak concluded in ugly fashion.
The Knicks couldn’t seem to stop a single fastbreak chance. They couldn’t defend Charlotte’s aggressive shooting from beyond the arc, and they couldn’t stop their drives to the hoop. From the opening tip to the final buzzer, it felt like every Hornets player, from LaMelo Ball (22 points in 36 minutes) to Coby White (17 in 23), played with a pace so aggressive the Knicks could not respond.
In addition to the 15-7 fastbreak points advantage Charlotte secured, they also outrebounded the Knicks 43-24. The reason behind this was simple: The Hornets were quicker on the court and more determined to recover loose balls.
“Our pick-and-roll defense wasn’t good,” said head coach Mike Brown. “And part of the reason why it wasn’t good is because they set great physical screens, and we didn’t do a good job protecting one another in the pick-and-roll.”
The Knicks blew the chance to clinch a playoff spot yesterday. They also fell an additional half-game behind Boston for second place in the East. The Knicks’ schedule certainly isn’t getting any easier, either, with a trip to Oklahoma City on Sunday followed by back-to-back games in Houston and Memphis.
For the second straight game, Brown benched Karl-Anthony Towns for most of the fourth quarter. He had posted just 13 points and three rebounds in 22 minutes, while Mitchell Robinson’s six boards were the second-most on the Knicks. Josh Hart’s seven rebounds ranked the highest, so you can see why the Knicks only finished the game with 24.
Although Towns has been the best version of himself since the All-Star Break, he faded yesterday. It isn’t a coincidence that the Knicks lost the game and the rebound battle on a night when Towns disappeared. That cannot happen in the playoffs.
The Knicks vastly underestimated their opponent, which is particularly inexcusable because the Hornets showcased this elevated style of play for months before hosting New York. Yet, they surprised the Knicks.
“They just kicked our behinds on the glass. We need more production on the glass than what we got from a handful of guys,” Brown said. “If you’re going to go on the road and let a team outrebound you 43-24, it’s not even close because we didn’t put bodies on bodies.”
Perhaps a simpler explanation for the Knicks’ struggles was that their blue jerseys blended with the Spectrum Center court. The colors made it difficult to spot the camouflaging Knicks players on the deck. Maybe the players couldn’t find each other, either. They certainly appeared invisible to the Hornets, who seemed to have a clean lane to the basket on every pick-and-roll.
The reality is that the Knicks failed their biggest test in weeks, and they must turn things around. Time is ticking. The playoffs are three weeks away.
Schedule
Tonight 3/27:
7:00 PM (6:00 PM CDT): NYR vs. CHI; MSG, Gotham Sports
Saturday 3/28:
7:15 PM (6:15 PM CDT): Baseball Night in America – NYY at SF; FOX, FOX One; SP: RHP Will Warren (0-0, -.-- ERA) vs. RHP Tyler Mahle (0-0, -.-- ERA)
Sunday 3/29:
1:00 PM (12:00 PM CDT): NYR vs. FLA; MSG, Gotham Sports
7:30 PM (6:30 PM CDT): Sunday Night Basketball – NYK at OKC; NBC, Peacock
6:30 PM (5:30 PM CDT): NBA Showtime; NBC
