The Charlotte Hornets host the New York Knicks at the Spectrum Center on Thursday, March 26, at 7:00 p.m. ET.
The Hornets are 38-34 and ninth in the East with an 18-17 home record, while the Knicks are 48-25 and third in the East with a 20-16 road record.
The Hornets are coming off a one-sided 134-90 win over the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday, their fourth win in a row. The Knicks are coming off 121-116 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday as well. This is their third and final encounter of the season, with the Knicks holding a 2-0 advantage after winning their last matchup 119-104 on December 3, 2025.
The Hornets are led by LaMelo Ball, who’s averaging 19.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 7.1 assists in what’s looking to be the most impactful season in his career. Rookie Kon Knueppel is contending for the Rookie of the Year trophy after a phenomenal campaign where he’s averaged 19.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.4 assists.
The Knicks are led by Jalen Brunson, who’s averaging 26.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 6.6 assists. The 29-year-old point guard is flanked by center Karl-Anthony Towns, who’s averaging 20.2 points and 12.0 rebounds this season.
This is going to be a phenomenal clash between two teams looking to win as many games as possible before the season ends. The Hornets have consistently been one of the best teams in the NBA since January and are hoping to become the sixth seed, while the Knicks are trying to climb up and reclaim the No. 2 seed.
Injury Report
Hornets
Pat Connaughton: Questionable (illness)
Tidjane Salaun: Out (calf)
Knicks
Kevin McCullar Jr.: Questionable (calf)
Landry Shamet: Out (knee)
Miles McBride: Out (pelvis)
Why The Hornets Have The Advantage
The Hornets don’t have many advantages over the season, but are slightly better shot blockers with 4.6 blocks per game compared to the Knicks’ 4.0 blocks per game. Even though Charlotte and New York are dead-even on rebounds per game (43.6), the Knicks have a slight offensive rebounding advantage compared to the Hornets. Despite this, the Hornets generate the second-most second-chance points in the NBA with 17.6 per game.
Outside of that, the Hornets are comprehensively the better three-point shooting team than the Knicks. They’re perhaps the best in the NBA, shooting 42.8 three-pointers per game (2nd) while converting at a 38.2% clip (3rd). This is the advantage the Hornets will look to maximize against a balanced team like the Knicks, who can neutralize every weapon the Hornets have on a good night.
The Hornets’ form since January also proves they’re carrying more momentum into this game. While the Hornets have a 118.2 offensive rating and 113.5 defensive rating on the season as a whole, they have a 121.9 offensive rating since January 1, 2026, and a 110.2 defensive rating.
They also have a 27-12 record in that span, which would rank among the best in the NBA. Their season stats can be misleading because the Hornets are coming into this game as a red-hot franchise. Given they’ve won their last four games, the Knicks have to be very cautious heading into this contest.
Why The Knicks Have The Advantage
The Knicks’ record is a sign of them generally underperforming on the season, given the caliber of their roster. This comes through when you look at the team’s overall stats this season, as the Knicks have a 118.7 offensive rating and 111.9 defensive rating. Their +6.8 net rating is the fifth-best in the NBA, which highlights how well-balanced the roster is on both ends.
The Knicks are scoring 117.2 points per game while grabbing 46.3 rebounds per game. They’re a slightly better passing unit than the Hornets, dishing 27.5 assists per game compared to the Hornets’ 26.5 per game. However, the Knicks are a better passing unit given the distribution of assists across their roster, highlighting their fluid offensive style. Defensively, the Knicks are measurably better with 8.1 steals per game compared to the Hornets’ 7.1 steals per game this season.
The Knicks don’t shoot as well as the Hornets, but their three-point prowess shouldn’t be underestimated. They have the fourth-best three-point percentage (37.4) in the NBA this season, but have relatively lower volume (38.7) with comparably efficient teams like the Hornets. The Knicks have proven 3-and-D players on their roster, so they’ll also be able to rely on their experience in what will definitely be a tricky road game, although the Hornets surprisingly struggle while playing at home.
X-Factors
Mikal Bridges should be the key x-factor for the Knicks every night, given what the team gave up to acquire him, but he’s in the middle of a rut. He’s averaging 14.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 3.9 assists on the season, but has averaged 8.6 points on 37.0% shooting over the last 10 games. He’s struggling right now, but if he can catch fire against a team like the Hornets, who will leave some defensive openings for him to attack, it could change how the Knicks play this game and going forward to finish out the regular season.
Josh Hart has been playing the opposite of Bridges, averaging 15.6 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 4.0 assists over the last five games and making crucial contributions to help the franchise earn wins. He’s averaging 12.2 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 5.0 assists on the season and is a multi-positional weapon who always gives max effort on both ends of the court.
Brandon Miller has been having a fantastic third season in the NBA, averaging 20.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 3.5 assists while putting past injury issues behind him. He’s a crucial two-way piece for the Hornets on the wing as he can perfectly assimilate into playing a role in a Ball-led offense or take the lead himself as an on-ball scorer and creator. His dynamic offensive abilities will be hard for the Knicks to guard, so Miller’s production could be key in deciding which side takes this win.
Winter acquisition Coby White is averaging 15.9 points this season in 12 games with the Hornets. While he had a slow start after joining the team with minor injuries, he has thrived of late as the team’s sixth man. The Hornets have a 9-3 record with White in the lineup, highlighting the winning impact he’s had on the franchise. The multi-faceted scorer will look to continue his strong stretch of performances against the hard-nosed Knicks defense.
Prediction
This is a hard one to predict. The Hornets have proven they’re more than just a flash in the pan, so analyzing them on their merits since January shows that they might be the safe pick here. However, the Knicks have shown a tendency to shrink in high-pressure games, which this one definitely will be. Picking a winner here is splitting hairs, but we think the home Hornets will pull this off. They’ve been the hotter team of late, while the Knicks have had more hiccups than usual coming into this game.
Prediction: Hornets 123, Knicks 121
