Knicks handle Hornets in another home win

Less than a day after they were busted by Boston, the New York Knicks rediscovered their buzz against the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden.

Back under the Garden’s iconic roof to open a three-legged homestand, the Knicks got back in the win column with a 119-104 decision over the humbled Hornets. The Knicks (14-7) returned to the win column less than 24 hours after dropping a divisional duel in Boston and have not dropped consecutive games since the end of October.

Karl-Anthony Towns paired 35 points with 18 rebounds (falling five assists short of a triple-double while shooting 16-of-23 of 23) while Jalen Brunson rediscovered his shooting touch to the tune of 26 points on 9-of-16 from the field. The status quo for each side prevailed on Wednesday, as the Knicks improved to 11-1 at home while the Hornets dropped to 1-10 on the road.

Despite the final margin failing the instant eye test and never taking the lead back from the Knicks, Charlotte (6-16) kept things respectable for a good bit of its visit: Wednesday’s host threatened to pull away early thanks in part to a sterling start by Towns. The Knicks’ All-Star center put up 10 and seven boards in the opening dozen, which established a 27-12 lead on the Garden scoreboard.

But, in an alarming mirror to Tuesday game, the Hornets inched their way back into the game with 35 points to cut the lead down to three. Charlotte was paced by the continued offensive success of LaMelo Ball and Kon Knueppel and a breakout from Tidjane Salaun but the Knicks managed to salvaged the period with a buzzer-beating triple from Brunson, one of five the Knicks hit in the frame after going but 1-of-9 in the first.

That foreshadowed Brunson’s second half, which him hit 5-of-6 from the floor and all five of his singles from the charity stripe. Shooting over 52% from the floor over the latter 24, the Knicks boosted their lead to as high as 18 before the third quarter let out.

While Charlotte never fully faded, the undeniable turning point was a driving double for Ball that narrowed the gap to four at the top of the second half, not unlike the way Jaylen Brown set the tone in the opening minute of Tuesday’s edition. This time, Knicks head coach Mike Brown called a timeout, allowing him to set the stage for a 14-6 run over the next four minutes.

Immediately after the stoppage, Mikal Bridges hit a three, part of a 16-point night, to set the tone. All five Knicks starters reached double figures as Josh Hart and Miles McBride each had 15. Like Towns, Hart also flirted with a triple-double, posting eight assists and rebounds.

Charlotte has dropped all but two of its last 11 despite another strong night from Ball, who led with 34 in defeat. It was a painful night in more ways than one for the Hornets, who saw both Ryan Kalkbrenner and Collin Sexton leave the game early due to injury. Charlotte will get another go at the Knicks in late March, seeking its first win against the New Yorkers.

In the meantime, part two of this three-stage Garden party lands on Friday when the Knicks hosted the Utah Jazz (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG).