Injuries left the Knicks without Julius Randle and OG Anunoby, but New York rallied behind Jalen Brunson and Donte DiVincenzo for a 113-92 win -- the team's seventh straight -- at the Charlotte Hornets.
Four things to know from Monday's game
1. With Randle and Anunoby sidelined, the Knicks (30-17) started Josh Hart and Precious Achiuwa. Hart scored eight points on 3-of-7 shooting. He rounded out his 39 minutes with 12 rebounds and seven assists. Achiuwa added nine points and five rebounds in 33 minutes.
2. Brunson paced the Knicks with a game-high 32 points in 34 minutes, but DiVincenzo's 28 on 10-of-22 shooting and a 5-for-15 mark from deep fueled New York's eventual breakthrough. The Knicks outscored the Hornets (10-35) 44-24 in the third quarter, where DiVincenzo scored 12 and Brunson dropped 15. DiVincenzo rounded out his production with six rebounds and five assists in a game-high 42 minutes.
3. Tom Thibodeau kept his bench short, and he got some quality minutes out of New York's eight-man rotation before unloading the bench with 1:44 left in the game. From a three-man bench that included Miles McBride, Quentin Grimes and Jericho Sims, McBride popped with 11 points in 15 minutes. Grimes logged 32 minutes but scored seven points on 3-of-11 shooting, including a 1-for-6 mark from downtown. Sims chipped in six points on three shots while adding seven rebounds.
4. After a 46-43 halftime advantage, the Knicks distanced themselves from Charlotte in the third quarter and took its largest lead of 29 at 98-69 on McBride's triple with 10:22 to go. The Hornets, led by Brandon Miller's 29 points, refused to completely go away and halved the gap at 105-91 with 3:16 left. However, from there, the Knicks closed the door with an 8-1 run.