The Charlotte Hornets picked up a 110-96 win over the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on the final gameday of the 2025-26 NBA regular season. This game had no impact on the standings, as the Knicks retained the No. 3 seed in the East despite losing, while the Hornets stayed locked into the No. 9 seed after this win.
The Hornets deployed most of their core players in this clash, being led by a trio of 19-point performances from LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, and Coby White. Ball also had seven rebounds and six assists, while Miller had three rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block. Kon Knueppel had 14 points on 5-14 shooting in the final game of his rookie season.
The Knicks had ruled out stars like Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, and many others before the game even tipped off. Mikal Bridges played 10 seconds to ensure he could keep his streak of consecutive games played alive before subbing out. As a result, Miles McBride led the team in scoring with 21 points while midseason addition Jose Alvarado had 16 points, five rebounds, seven assists, two steals, and one block.
Let’s analyze the biggest learnings for both postseason franchises after the curtain was drawn on their regular-season campaign.
1. Hornets Execute Their Game Plan Perfectly
There isn’t much to do when your opponent rules out most of their core rotation for rest in what could be a meaningless final game of the season. However, we saw the Magic lose in this exact situation to the Celtics, so the Hornets did exactly what they set out to do and ensured that a scrappy Knicks squad couldn’t spring an upset on their core rotation. The stats of the game reflect that as well, with the Hornets ensuring most of their season-long advantages come through on the court against the Knicks.
The Hornets shot 39-85 (45.9 FG%) from the field while shooting 15-52 (36.5 3P%) from three. Both marks are slightly less efficient than what we’ve come to expect from the Hornets this season, but were more than enough to beat the Knicks on a night they couldn’t get their shots to fall, shooting 39-90 (43.3 FG%) from the field and 13-40 (32.5 3P%) from three. In addition, the Hornets proved once again why they’re the NBA leaders in second-chance points by scoring 26 of them in this clash despite being tied 12-12 on offensive rebounds with the Knicks.
The Hornets attacked the glass, tried to maximize their three-point production, and played with real defensive effort in what was ultimately a meaningless result outside of giving Charlotte the momentum they needed to win back-to-back Play-in games to end an eight-year Playoff drought.
2. Knicks Rotation Is Deeper Than You’d Think
This might have been a loss for the Knicks, but they showed some things that should excite fans heading into the Playoffs. The main thing we saw today was that the larger Knicks rotation is far more playable than people give it credit for, as these pieces can come in and have impactful stretches in the Playoff, if required. They need productive players outside their stars, such as Brunson, Towns, Bridges, Hart, and Anunoby, and many of them showed great signs in this clash.
In terms of backup guards, the Knicks likely will rely on Miles McBride and Jose Alvarado as options behind Jalen Brunson, with them potentially being better-equipped for Playoff basketball than Jordan Clarkson. Forward Jeremy Sochan had 12 points, six rebounds, and five assists in his first Knicks game, where he had the opportunity to show his high-level play on both ends, along with his playmaking ability.
Although unlikely, players such as Kevin McCullar Jr, Pacome Dadiet, and Ariel Hukporti have also shown that they can be real contributors if given the opportunity. These might be names to watch for next season instead of the Playoffs, but the Knicks roster is in a great position going forward.
3. Kon Knueppel’s Rookie of the Year Campaign Ends Well
This was the final game for regular-season awards consideration as well, with Rookie of the Year frontrunner Kon Knueppel putting up 14 points (5-14 FG, 3-10 3P), six rebounds, five assists, two steals, and one block in the final game of his rookie season. While it wasn’t the star-like performance many would’ve wanted him to have to prove he deserves the award over Cooper Flagg, it was another example of Knueppel’s winning impact on the Hornets. Even on a night he wasn’t shooting well, Knueppel left an all-around impact that helped the Hornets win this clash.
Knueppel is averaging 18.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.4 assists this season, and will hope it’s enough to beat out Flagg for Rookie of the Year. Flagg is averaging more counting stats, but he was on a Dallas Mavericks team that finished miles away from Playoff contention. Knueppel’s addition to the Hornets has been one of the key reasons they’re one of the best shooting teams in the NBA this season and have made the first legitimate Playoff push from the franchise in almost a decade.
With Flagg getting injured and leaving his final game of the season early, it seems Knueppel’s final outing of the season might be enough to keep his name in front of Flagg’s in the race, although everyone will be biting their nails until the winner is announced.
4. Playoff Dreams Will Be Hard To Actualize For Charlotte
The Hornets look like a strong team, but one of the biggest learnings from this game is that the Hornets have a really challenging task ahead of them. Despite being one of the best teams in the NBA over the last three months, early-season losses and some careless late-season losses have put them in an unenviable position as the No. 9 seed. Even after all their success over the last three months, they still have to win two win-or-go-home games to sneak into the Playoffs as the No. 8 seed.
In the last four years of the Play-In, only two East teams have made it into the Playoffs after being in the 9-10 game. These are the 2023 Atlanta Hawks and the 2025 Miami Heat, so the Hornets have a real challenge ahead of them. They have made two Play-In appearances in the past as well, but have never been able to even make it into the final game for the No. 8 seed. They have to beat Play-In veterans like the Heat to have a shot, which might be tough for this young squad.
Missing the Playoffs will be a huge disappointment for the Hornets, but the franchise has placed the building blocks for a potential perennial playoff squad.
