Charlotte Hornets head coach Charles Lee pointed to defensive adjustments and team resilience after Charlotte defeated the New York Knicks 114-103 on Thursday night at Spectrum Center.
The win snapped New York’s seven-game winning streak and pushed Charlotte to 39-34, keeping the Hornets in the tight race for playoff positioning in the Eastern Conference.
Lee highlighted the defensive response after a difficult opening quarter in which the Hornets allowed 36 points.
“I think after that first quarter, gave up 36 points and then only 67 after that in the final three quarters,” Lee said. “No, a very impressive defensive effort by our entire team.”
The coach explained that early communication issues led to breakdowns but improved as the game progressed.
“I think some miscues in terms of communication. Our red exchanges weren’t always clean. There’s like indecision between two guys,” Lee said. “But I thought as the game kept going we got better and better.”
Lee also emphasized the defensive focus against Jalen Brunson, who finished with 26 points after scoring 17 in the first quarter.
“Really like the mental toughness that it takes to continue to be physical, to continue to close the gap,” Lee said. “It’d be easy to kind of just hang your head, and I thought that our group just continued to embrace the challenge that was in front of them.”
Charlotte also limited second-chance opportunities after struggling in the previous meeting between the teams.
“Last time they had 30 second chance points. Tonight they had nine second chance points on five offensive rebounds,” Lee said. “The team understands what is the recipe to have the most success and they are committing to it.”
The Hornets built a large lead before the Knicks trimmed the deficit late in the fourth quarter.
Lee said the stretch served as a learning moment for a team still developing late-game execution.
“Sometimes the game unfortunately like you can’t relax,” Lee said. “When you have a big lead the other team starts trying to trap you and they amp up their fullcourt pressure.”
“We have to be able to have the poise,” Lee added. “Our point guards come back and get the ball and help get us set up.”
A major storyline of the game was the performance of rookie guard Kon Knueppel, who scored 26 points with 11 rebounds and eight assists.
Lee said the 20-year-old continues to impact the game beyond shooting.
“He’s an overall player,” Lee said. “I think sometimes he gets labeled as just a shooter, but we feel his impact in so many different ways.”
The coach also pointed to Knueppel’s defensive effort and ability to create offense.
“He’s helping us on the boards with his physicality and then offensively he definitely adds gravity for our offense so that we do have more driving lanes,” Lee said.
Lee credited the home crowd for helping Charlotte maintain momentum in a game that featured strong support from traveling Knicks fans.
“It was amazing that our Hornets fans were able to drown out some of the Knicks fans, which I loved,” Lee said. “It created a real homecourt advantage feel.”
Despite the win, Lee stressed that the team’s focus remains on steady improvement.
“I think we’re less about trying to make a statement and we’re really just worried about the self-improvement, the daily improvement every day,” Lee said.
Charlotte returns to action Saturday night when it hosts the Philadelphia 76ers.
