Kon Knueppel — the 20-year-old rookie sharpshooter — went NUTS, going 6-10 from 3 and scoring 26 pts as the Hornets ran the Knicks off the court, 114-103, in a playoff-intensity-type game in Charlotte on a Thursday night.
Charlotte outscored NY 27-19 in the 2nd quarter, and 29-21 in the 3rd to take a 17-pt lead into the 4th. NY pulled to within 10 pts with 3 minutes left but it was too little too late.
Charlotte outrebounded the Knicks 43-24, and out-paced NY all night. The Pelicans broke the Knicks’ 7-game winning streak, and in the process won their 5th game in a row, which is now the longest winning streak in the Eastern Conference.
Kneuppel also had 11 rebounds and 8 assists — a near triple-double. LaMelo Ball added 22 pts (7-14 shooting, 4-9 from 3), Brandon Miller had 21 pts (7-12 shooting, 4-8 from 3), and Miles Bridges had 17 pts.
Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 26 pts and 13 assists. OG Anunoby added 17 pts on 6-10 shooting (5-9 from 3), Josh Hart had 16 pts, and Mikal Bridges had 14 pts (on 6-12 shooting).
Karl-Anthony Towns had 13 pts and 3 rebounds in only 22 minutes — as he didn’t play in the 4th quarter — coach Mike Brown staying with Mitchell Robinson instead. Robinson had 4 pts (on 2-2 shooting). 6 rebounds, and block and a steal in 26 minutes. It was the 2nd straight game where Brown did not go with KAT down the stretch, the prior game being a close win over New Orleans.
“I just thought when we had Mitch in there with certain guys, we were able to match their physicality. And we made a run,” said coach Brown afterwards. “But we were down 20 at that time. And versus a good team on the road, that’s tough to do.”
NY drops to 48-26, a game behind Boston for 2nd in the East, and 5.5 behind Detroit. Charlotte improves to 39-34, in 9th place in the East (the top 10 teams make the playoffs).
1. Game Close After 1 Quarter — Charlotte Up 38-36
Charlotte jumped out to a 24-14 lead on the shooting of Kneuppel and LaMelo Ball — but the Knicks pushed back, with Jalen Brunson getting buckets and Jordan Clarkson giving the Knicks a lift off the bench late in the 1st quarter for the 2nd game in a row.
Clarkson came off the bench and hit a deuce, then fed Josh Hart for a jumper, and NY was within 26-22.
Jalen Brunson hit 3 free throws after being fouled taking a 3 and then hit a floater with 1:47 left to pull NY within a point.
Kneuppel responded with a 3; Mohamed Diawara responded to that with a deuce and a 3. A Jalen Brunson bucket tied the game 36-36 with 29 seconds left — but Coby White scored on a drive to give Charlotte a 38-36 lead after 1 quarter.
2. Charlotte Outpaces NY in 2nd to Take 65-55 Lead
Jordan Clarkson got the Knicks first 2 buckets of the 2nd quarter, but Charlotte started to pull away with Miles Bridges, Coby White, and LaMelo Ball getting the out to a 48-40 lead.
Mitchell Robinson came in and scored consecutive alley-oop slams off Brunson passes, pulling NY within 50-47.
hoopin & OOPin x2 🔥 pic.twitter.com/U4EUXSPmZa
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) March 27, 2026
But Miles Bridges and the up-tempo Charlotte offense continued to increase the lead for the Pelicans.
OG Anunoby hit back-to-back 3’s to make it a 60-55 game with 1:54 left in the half.
But Brandon Miller answered with a 3, and Coby White hit a 9-foot pullup to give Charlotte a 10-pt lead at the half, 65-55.
3. Charlotte Runs Knicks Off Court in 3rd — Go Up 17
The Knicks came out looking to be aggressive to start the 3rd — Mikal Bridges and Brunson with buckets and KAT with a 3.
a middy from mikal gets us going in the second half pic.twitter.com/lf8JaZuffv
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) March 27, 2026
But Charlotte was scoring down the other end at a better pace — LaMelo Ball with consecutive 3’s and a 3 by Knueppel extending the Pelican lead to 77-62.
PULL 🆙#HiveMentality x @Kon2Knueppel @Lowes | @FDSN_Hornets pic.twitter.com/0jYLlHS6ZQ
— Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) March 27, 2026
Knick timeout.
NY pulled back within 11 pts with 2:56 left — but Charlotte went on a 7-0 run to end the quarter (a deuce by Knueppel, free throws by Coby White, and a 3 by Grant Williams) to take a 17-pt lead entering the 4th — 94-76.
4. Knicks Pull with 10 Late — But It Wasn’t Close
KAT scored buckets for NY at the start of the 4th quarter — 2 free throws off a drive, and a bucket inside after an OG 3.
But KAT had the ball stolen from him by Moussa Diabate which led to a Brandon Miller dunk down the other end for a 104-83 Charlotte lead.
KAT then missed a 21-footer and fouled Diabate down the other end with 8 minutes left.
Mitchell Robinson subbed KAT and played the rest of the game. NY immediately went on a 15-3 run to get back within 10.
- It started with a 7-0 run — a 3 and a deuce by Mikal Bridges and a layup by Josh Hart — to pull within 104-90 with 4:46 left.
- Kneuppel answered with a 3 — but NY went on another run — this time 8-0 — on a Brunson floater-and-1, a Hart bucket, and a Hart 3 — making it a 108-98 game with 2:24 left.
- Hart hit another 3 a minute later to make it a 9-pt game, but it was too little, too late.
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