The Charlotte Hornets surged past the Phoenix Suns 127-107 at Spectrum Center on Thursday night.
Miles Bridges led the way with 25 points, while rookie Kon Knueppel added 20 and set a franchise record for 3-pointers in a season with 261.
Knueppel broke Kemba Walker’s 2018-19 record of 260 with a corner 3 late in the fourth, energizing the home crowd.
Brandon Miller contributed 17 points, Coby White scored 19, and LaMelo Ball recorded a double-double with 15 points and 11 assists.
Charlotte shot 46% from the field and converted 18 of 39 from deep, outrebounding Phoenix 47-31 to control the boards.
The Hornets turned the game in the second half after trailing 41-33 at the end of the first quarter, with Miller’s early third-quarter 3-pointer sparking a 13-point lead.
Bridges added a corner 3 and an alley-oop dunk off a Ball assist, pushing the Hornets’ advantage to 19 points in the third quarter.
Phoenix received 25 points from Jalen Green and 22 from Devin Booker, but the Suns could not match Charlotte’s perimeter shooting.
Collin Gillespie set a Suns franchise record for 3-pointers in a season, eclipsing Quentin Richardson’s 226, finishing with six points on two triples.
Charlotte has now won seven of nine, improving its playoff positioning in the Eastern Conference, while the Suns have lost six of their last seven road games in the Western Conference.
The Hornets host Indiana on Friday, while Phoenix travels to Chicago on Sunday. Both teams aim to improve seeding for the play-in tournament.
