The New York Knicks defeated the Charlotte Hornets 113-108 at Madison Square Garden on Friday night. New York improved to 4-1 in preseason while Charlotte fell to 2-3.
Charlotte grabbed an early 29-30 lead after one quarter. Miles Bridges scored seven points with two triples for the visitors.
Jalen Brunson answered with 11 points in the period, including a step-back three and driving layup. The Knicks trailed by one at the break.
New York pulled ahead in the second with a 34-25 edge. Brunson added nine more points, highlighted by a fadeaway jumper.
The Hornets responded in the third, outscoring the hosts 33-26. Collin Sexton dished 10 assists overall, including setups for Bridges’ dunks.
Brunson kept pace with 14 points in the frame. The Knicks led 90-87 heading to the fourth.
Charlotte tied it at 90-90 on a driving layup from Knueppel. New York responded with a 23-21 close.
Brunson finished with 31 points on 12-of-25 shooting, including five threes. He added seven rebounds and six assists.
Mikal Bridges contributed 16 points and seven rebounds for the Knicks. Jordan Clarkson added 13 points off the bench.
Miles McBride scored 15 points, including four threes. The Knicks outscored Charlotte 40-34 in the paint.
Sexton led the Hornets with 21 points and 10 assists. Bridges tallied 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting.
Kon Knueppel added 12 points. Liam McNeeley scored 11 points with three assists.
Tidjane Salaun grabbed 10 rebounds for Charlotte. The Hornets committed 21 turnovers, leading to 31 points for New York.
New York shot 44.6 percent from the field. Charlotte made 14 threes at 34.1 percent.
