The Charlotte Hornets head to Madison Square Garden to take on the New York Knicks. The game gets underway at 7:30 pm ET on Tuesday, Nov. 17 and will air on MSG and FxS.
The Knicks beat the Pelicans 95-87 on Sunday. With 29 points and 13 rebounds, Carmelo Anthony recorded his second double-double this season. The Hornets, meanwhile, are coming off a 106-94 win over the Trail Blazers on Sunday. Nicolas Batum shot 11-for-19 and led in scoring with 33 points.
Batum has been on fire over the last five games for the Hornets, averaging 22.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.2 steals, and 3.2 three-pointers.
The battle on the backboards could prove decisive, pitting strength against strength. New York is among the league’s elite on the offensive glass, ranking fifth in offensive rebound percentage at 27.7%. Meanwhile, the Hornets rank third in the NBA at corralling defensive rebounds with a defensive rebound percentage of 80.1%. The Hornets should also expect to protect the ball well. They rank first at avoiding errors (turnover percentage of 11.4%). Conversely, the Knicks force the fifth-fewest turnovers in the league (opponents’ turnover percentage of 13.2%).
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Hornets won the first game 95-93. Anthony scored a game-high with 29 points.
The Knicks are favored by a slight one-point margin in their matchup against Charlotte. The teams combine to set the Over/Under (O/U) at 196 points. The Knicks enter the game with records of 5-6 Straight Up (SU) and 7-4 Against The Spread (ATS). They have covered the spread in most of their games against teams from the East, going 6-2 ATS, but only have a 3-5 SU record. New York has been steady from the free throw line, shooting a stellar .817. New York is very careful and attentive with the ball, averaging the fifth-fewest turnovers per game at only 13.1.
On the other side, the Hornets head into the game with records of 6-3-1 ATS and 5-5 SU. Charlotte has records of 2-4 SU and 3-2-1 ATS against the East. The Hornets rarely make costly errors handling the ball. They have the best assist-to-turnover ratio in the league at 1.95. Charlotte may be taking trips to the free throw line early and often with the Knicks averaging a league-high 24.2 fouls per game.
Charlotte won the last meeting this season between these two teams, bringing its SU record in the past 10 games to 7-3. The teams have an even record ATS, 5-5.
Predictions: SU Winner – NY, ATS Winner – NY, O/U – Under
Notes
New York is 8-17 SU in its last 25 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of New York’s last 8 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of New York’s last 5 games at home.
New York is 3-12 SU in its last 15 games at home.
New York is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 9 of New York’s last 11 games when playing Charlotte.
New York is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Charlotte.
New York is 10-4 SU in its last 14 games when playing at home against Charlotte.
New York is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games when playing at home against Charlotte.
New York ranks 21st in points per game with 98.5, while Charlotte ranks 12th in points allowed with an average of 99.2 given up.
New York ranks 27th in points per home game with 92.5 points, while Charlotte ranks 12th in points allowed on the road with 101.0.
When New York allows fewer than 100 points, the team has a subpar 3-5 record this season. Charlotte also has a subpar record when it scores fewer than 100 (1-5).
When allowing 100 or more points, New York is 2-1. In games in which it reaches the century mark, Charlotte is a perfect 4-0.
The Hornets have a defensive rating of 101.9 (ranked 17th). The Knicks rank 15th for their offensive rating of 101.1.
New York averages 97.5 possessions per game, scoring 1.011 points on each possession. While Charlotte averages fewer possessions per game with 96.9, the team scores more points per possession with 1.046.
The Charlotte Hornets have one of the best effective field goal percentages this season, ranking ninth in the league with an EFF% of 49.9%. When their opponents record a similar or higher EFF%, the New York Knicks are winless with a 0-2 record.
On average, the Charlotte Hornets make 21.5 assists per game and the New York Knicks make 19.7. Charlotte is ranked 12th, while New York is ranked 23rd.
New York makes an average of 5.1 blocks per game (ranked 17th). Charlotte ranks higher in blocks with 5.3 (ranked 13th).
New York ranks among the best in the league in offensive rebounding at fourth, while Charlotte ranks a solid 13th in defensive rebounds.
The Charlotte Hornets make an average of 7.3 steals per game. When the New York Knicks allow 7 or more steals, they are a winning 4-2.
