Part of being a successful NBA team is the notion that matchups against lower-echelon opponents can be construed as trap games, especially coming off the emotional nature of a win like Sunday’s double-overtime thriller for the Knicks in Boston.
Tom Thibodeau’s rolling squad fell flat Tuesday night, blowing a 16-point halftime lead to the Hornets and shooting 5-for-26 in the fourth quarter to halt their nine-game winning streak with a lethargic 112-105 loss at the Garden.
RJ Barrett scored 27 points, but Julius Randle shot 5-for-17 and finished with 16 for the Knicks, who will embark on a four-game West Coast swing beginning Thursday night in Sacramento.
After missing the Knicks’ double-overtime win Sunday in Boston, starting point guard Jalen Brunson sat out his second consecutive game with a sore left foot. Point guard LaMelo Ball (ankle) also was out for the Hornets, who own the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference (21-46).
“I think every game is a trap game. You’re right, it’s human nature, too. You let your guard down a little bit, you’re going to slip,” Thibodeau said before the game. “This league is too good. You look at Charlotte the last 10 games, they’re 5-5.
“So if you’re not ready to play … what happened last game has nothing to do with this game. So you have to make sure you get the proper amount of preparation and that we’re ready to play. … They’re very athletic and they can score the ball so we have to be at our best.”
Kelly Oubre Jr. led Charlotte with 27 points, Terry Rozier had 25 and Gordon Hayward added 23.
Before the game, Hornets coach Steve Clifford said he considers Thibodeau “a close friend and a mentor,” so it was hardly surprising that he was complimentary of the streaking Knicks. The opposing bench bosses were assistant coaches together with the Knicks from 2001-03 and also with the Rockets under Jeff Van Gundy from 2004-07.
“I know this, they have a belief right now, you can see that when they step on the floor,” Clifford said. “Right now they’re scoring. Their offense has been terrific.
Coming off a standout performance Sunday in Boston — 38 points in 55 minutes — Quickley missed his first five shots, including four from 3-point range, in 10 scoreless minutes in the first quarter. The Knicks shot 3-for-13 from beyond the arc and were tied, 21-21, through one period.
Barrett found his groove alongside the four-man second unit, with 13 points in the first six minutes of the second quarter, for 17 before halftime.
Quickley buried his first 3-pointer of the night from the corner for a nine-point cushion, and then hit another from the right side for a 13-point cushion with 3:14 remaining until intermission. He converted a traditional three-point play less than one minute later.
Quentin Grimes (12 points) nailed his second 3-pointer of the half before beating the clock with a reverse layup as the Knicks led, 66-50, through two quarters.
The Hornets chipped away in the third, however, and they used an 11-0 run to grab a one-point lead, 87-86, with 52.1 seconds left.
Obi Toppin’s 3-pointer put the Knicks back up by two entering the fourth, Josh Hart (nine points) netted four points and Deuce McBride sank a runner early in the final period to push the lead back to eight. Consecutive 3-point buckets by Hayward and Oubre made it a one-point game, and Rozier tied it, 100-100, with a jumper with 3:22 to go.
Hayward’s three-point play put the Hornets ahead one possession later, and after Randle forged another tie with a spinning drive, Hayward sank a pull-up jumper and Oubre buried another 3 for a 108-103 Charlotte lead with 58 seconds to play.
After Randle hit two free throws, Hayward committed an offensive foul to give the Knicks back the ball. But Randle was called for a loose ball foul off a Quickley miss at the other end, and Rozier nailed both free throws to replenish the five-point lead with 29.1 seconds to play.