On Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden, the New York Knicks face the Charlotte Hornets for the third time this season in a game that has NBA In-Season Tournament implications.

While Charlotte is all but eliminated, the Knicks are well-positioned to advance to the knockout round.

They are 2-1 in East Group B with a point differential of plus-18, six better than Miami, which also goes into Tuesday’s final group play slate at 2-1.

The Knicks have taken care of business against the Hornets in each of the first two matchups, winning by double digits in both games.

New York beat up Charlotte at home, 129-107, on Nov. 12 as a 10.5-point favorite, followed by a 122-108 road triumph less than a week later.

Guard Jalen Brunson has averaged 26.0 points per game in the two wins over Charlotte, while each game easily went over the total.

The Hornets picked up a pair of home victories during Thanksgiving week against the Celtics and Wizards, marking the first time Charlotte has won consecutive games this season.

Guard LaMelo Ball has gone on a nice scoring run of late, which included four straight games of at least 34 points.

The Knicks have had their way against the Hornets this season, and Charlotte has been a terrific over play on the road. 

And with New York’s incentive to increase their point differential in order to secure either a top-two spot in group play or a wild card, this game should be played at a higher tempo than you might expect between these two teams.

Pick: Over total 220.5 (-110, BetMGM)