Jalen Brunson poured in 32 points and Donte DiVincenzo drained seven 3-pointers on the way to a season-high 25 points as the visiting New York Knicks kept rolling by defeating the Charlotte Hornets 122-108 on Saturday night.
Julius Randle provided 21 points as the Knicks won for the sixth time in their past seven games. New York has also won straight road games.
The Knicks had starting guard/forward RJ Barrett back in the lineup after he missed the last three games because of an illness. He supplied 15 points despite 5-for-15 shooting from the floor.
Brunson went 12-for-21 from the field, sinking four treys in the Knicks’ second convincing victory against Charlotte in a seven-day span. New York beat the Hornets 129-107 last Sunday.
LaMelo Ball tallied 34 points, aided by eight 3-pointers, and rookie Brandon Miller had a season-best 29 points, but the Hornets were saddled with their fourth loss in a row.
Miles Bridges came off the Charlotte bench for 19 points on 8-for-12 shooting. He was playing his second game since completing an NBA suspension stemming from a domestic violence case.
DiVincenzo’s previous season high was 16 points, but he found a groove on Saturday. He sank two 3-pointers in the final 5 1/2 minutes of the game and finished 7-for-10 from beyond the arc.
With the Knicks leading 96-88, Barrett scored five straight points as part of New York’s 7-0 run that helped seal the outcome.
Knicks center Mitchell Robinson pulled in a game-high 14 rebounds, with 11 of those on the offensive end.
Hornets starting forward P.J. Washington was nearly held scoreless in 33 minutes, missing his first eight shots before hitting a 3-pointer in the final minute.
The Knicks broke out to a 20-9 lead in the first quarter and later held a 15-point edge in the second. The Hornets got back in it before DiVincenzo’s 3-pointer and Brunson’s layup capped the first half, putting New York up 61-50 at the break.
–Field Level Media
