NBA: Hornets knock off Knicks to secure East’s ninth seed

The Charlotte Hornets secured the ninth seed in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament with a 110-96 victory over the New York Knicks on Sunday.

Brandon Miller, LaMelo Ball, and Coby White each scored 19 points to lead the Hornets (44-38). Ball added five 3-pointers, seven rebounds, and six assists, while Kon Knueppel contributed 14 points, six rebounds, and five assists. Charlotte will face the Miami Heat in a No. 9 vs. No. 10 play-in game on Tuesday.

For the Knicks (53-29), the game had little significance as they had already clinched the East's No. 3 seed. New York rested most of their regulars, giving the start to Miles McBride, Jose Alvarado, Mikal Bridges, Mohamed Diawara, and Ariel Hukporti.

Bridges, who made a brief appearance to extend his consecutive games played streak to 638 — the eighth-longest in NBA history — is the league's active leader in this category. He was replaced by Jordan Clarkson after just 23 seconds as part of a plan to preserve the streak.

McBride shone for the Knicks, hitting four 3-pointers and finishing with 21 points. Alvarado contributed 16 points, while Kevin McCullar Jr. added a career-high 14. Pacome Dadiet also set a career-best with 12 points, matching Jeremy Sochan's contribution.

The Knicks' five-game winning streak came to an end with this loss. New York will now face the Atlanta Hawks, the East's No. 6 seed, in the first round of the playoffs beginning Saturday.

The Hornets shot 45.9% from the field and 36.5% (19 of 52) from 3-point range. Charlotte also dominated in second-chance points, outscoring New York 26-12 despite both teams grabbing a dozen offensive rebounds. The Knicks shot 43.3% from the field and 32.5% (13 of 40) from beyond the arc.

Charlotte jumped to a 30-20 lead after the first quarter and extended it to 50-35 on Miller’s two free throws with 3:34 left in the second quarter. The Hornets led 57-44 at the break.

Knueppel's third 3-pointer pushed the lead to 69-54 with 8:53 remaining in the third, and Charlotte held a 87-73 advantage at the end of the period. They maintained a double-digit lead throughout the fourth quarter, capped by Sion James’s three-pointer at 3:02, which made it 108-91.

With the win, the Hornets remain in playoff contention, while the Knicks will turn their focus to the upcoming postseason series against the Hawks.

-Field Level Media/Reuters