CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Kon Knueppel scored 26 points and made six 3-pointers to become the youngest player in NBA history with 250 in a season, and the Charlotte Hornets snapped the New York Knicks' seven-game winning streak with a 114-103 victory Thursday night.
Knueppel, 20, nearly had his first career triple-double, finishing with 10 rebounds and eight assists.
LaMelo Ball added 22 points and Brandon Miller had 21 points and eight rebounds for the
Hornets, who’ve won five straight. Miles Bridges and Coby White each chipped in with 17 points.
Jalen Brunson had 26 points and 13 assists for the Knicks, who would have clinched a playoff berth with a victory. OG Anunoby added 17 points in a game that featured a high-intensity postseason atmosphere.
Charlotte (39-34) pulled into a tie with Miami for eighth place in the Eastern Conference, although the Heat own the head-to-head tiebreaker.
Ball set the tone early for the Hornets, scoring 10 points in the first six minutes as the Hornets ran out to a 24-14 lead. The Knicks were able to close the gap behind 17 first-quarter points from Brunson but Charlotte took command late in the second quarter and pushed the lead to 10 at halftime with a series of 3s from Knueppel, Ball and Miller.
The Hornets, who tied a franchise record with 26 3s in a 134-90 win over Sacramento on Tuesday night, finished 16 of 41 from beyond the arc.
The second half belonged to the Hornets as Grant Williams' 3 put Charlotte up 94-76 entering the fourth quarter. The Knicks made a late push and cut the lead to nine with 1:17 left after Josh Hart knocked down three jumpers from the top of the key, but Bridges' dunk off his own miss with 40 seconds left sealed the win.
New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, who grew up about 20 minutes north of the Spectrum Center in Huntersville, sat courtside along with his wife. When Maye was introduced on the videoboard, he stood up and began chucking footballs into the crowd.
Kings: At Oklahoma City on Sunday night.
Hornets: Host Philadelphia on Saturday night.
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