Jalen Brunson torches Hornets before checking out early in Knicks' rout

Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News on Dec 5, 2024

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NEW YORK — Jalen Brunson looked at his left hand, gave it a kiss and raised it to the sky.

The Knicks point guard had just used that left hand to drill a 3-pointer — his fourth of the night — with 13 seconds left in the first quarter, punctuating a 19-point opening period for Brunson against the Charlotte Hornets.

And that was just the start.

Brunson’s early output set the tone Thursday for another balanced offensive explosion by the Knicks, who swatted away the Hornets, 125-101, at Madison Square Garden for their fourth consecutive win.

Brunson checked out at the 2:39 mark of the third quarter, went to the locker room and did not go back into the game. He returned to the sideline in the fourth quarter with a wrap around his lower midsection.

Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau said he thought Brunson was dealing with a back issue but could have returned to play. The game was out of hand by the time Brunson returned to the sideline on a night when each of the Knicks’ starters scored at least 18 points and took turns carrying the offense.

Brunson finished with 24 points and five assists in 27 minutes.

Karl-Anthony Towns led the Knicks with 27 points and 16 rebounds, while OG Anunoby scored 25.

Mikal Bridges added 19 points and seven assists, and Josh Hart had 18 points, 10 rebounds and six assists.

The Knicks shot 53.9% from the field and 54.5% from 3-point range.

Thursday marked the Knicks’ second meeting in six days with the short-handed Hornets, against whom they eked out a 99-98 win in Charlotte last Friday.

The Hornets (6-16) remained undermanned for Thursday’s rematch, with leading scorer LaMelo Ball and key contributors Miles Bridges, Tre Mann and Grant Williams still out with injuries.

But early on, the Hornets proved pesky once again.

Charlotte used a 16-2 run to jump out to a 20-7 lead — a fast start in which Brandon Miller (26 points) looked the part of last year’s No. 2 overall pick.

Miller made three 3-pointers, converted a three-point play and turned a slick spin move into a driving dunk during a 16-point first quarter.

That set up an early scoring duel with Brunson, who made all four of his first-quarter 3-pointers after the 5:30 mark to keep the score close.

His final 3-pointer — a stepback set up by a Towns screen — capped a 10-0 run for the Knicks, turning what was once a 32-20 deficit into a 32-30 game.

Brunson scored 16 of the Knicks’ first 22 points and finished the quarter 5 of 6 from the field, including 4 of 4 from behind the arc. The rest of the Knicks shot 4 of 12 for 11 points.

The second quarter was much more balanced.

Hart scored 14 points in the period. Bridges added 11. Brunson did not score — or even attempt a shot — but finished the frame with four assists.

And Anunoby delivered dunks on back-to-back possessions with less than two minutes remaining before halftime, turning a 60-58 deficit into a 62-60 lead for the Knicks.

They never trailed again.

The Knicks pulled away with a 25-4 run in the third quarter, during which Towns posterized 6-9 forward Moussa Diabate with a driving one-handed dunk, drew a foul and converted the three-point play.

On the very next possession, Towns converted another three-point play.

It was that kind of quarter for the Knicks, who outscored the Hornets, 38-16, in the third. Anunoby scored 15 points in the quarter, during which he made three 3-pointers and blocked a pair of Charlotte 3-point attempts on back-to-back possessions.

The Knicks have now scored at least 118 points in three consecutive games. They’ve shot better than 50% from the field and received double-digit scoring from all five starters in their last two.

They’ll look to extend their winning streak Saturday night when they host the Detroit Pistons to close out a four-game homestand.