In case it wasn’t already evident what the Charlotte Hornets were up against, the roar when the visiting team emerged from the tunnel served as a stern reminder.
Even with the Hornets in the midst of one of the best stretches in franchise history and the city gravitating toward full-fledged acceptance and happiness, the test that stood before them was a beast. They had to tame the rowdy fans clad in New York Knicks gear, transforming Spectrum Center into Madison Square Garden South.
And there’s really only one way to do that.
“Just dominate the basketball game,” Miles Bridges said. “If we dominate the basketball game from the jump, like we have been as a team, then our crowd is going to be into it way more than their crowd.”
Perhaps the apocalypse is near, because what’s proven to be a difficult task for the Hornets seemingly forever finally happened Thursday night. In one of their most impressive and complete performances of the season, the Hornets knocked off the Knicks, 114-103, at Spectrum Center.
“I’ve got to give a shout out to the home crowd,” Brandon Miller said. “I’ve never heard a New York game like this where Charlotte fans are cheering louder than New York fans. So, I applaud them.”
Miller dapping up Charlotte rapper DaBaby following a thunderous right-handed fast-break dunk in the fourth quarter provided the perfect snapshot of just how well things went for the Hornets against a team that can contend to hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy following the NBA Finals come June.
“After that moment,” Miller said, “I couldn’t hear myself think.”
Charlotte Hornets guard Brandon Miller throws down a two-handed dunk off a missed shot by teammate Kon Knueppel during action against the New York Knicks at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Thursday, March 26, 2026. At right is Knicks forward/guard OG Anunoby. JEFF SINER jsiner@charlotteobserver.com
By upending New York, the Hornets (39-34) held serve in the Eastern Conference standings, remaining in the ninth spot ahead of 10th-place Orlando. Charlotte pulled into a virtual tie with Miami, though the Heat holds the head-to-head tiebreaker, and is a full game behind seventh-place Philadelphia.
And guess who comes to town next? That would be those same 76ers, making the matchup between the two on Saturday night yet another key game in a string of plenty of them for the surging Hornets.
Perhaps there will be a repeat then of what turned out to be music to the Hornets’ ears against New York.
“It was amazing that our Hornets fans were able to drown out some of the Knicks fans, which I loved, and we appreciate,” coach Charles Lee said. “So, that definitely helped us and created a real home court advantage field even though they are such a top team and they travel so well.
“Just proud of the fact that we improved upon the last time we played these guys. We identified areas that we wanted to get better at and the group did that.”
Here are some other key takeaways from the Hornets’ fifth straight win:
Charlotte Hornets forward Kon Knueppel releases a three-point shot during action against the New York Knicks at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, NC on Thursday, March 26, 2026. The Hornets defeated the Knicks 114-103. JEFF SINER jsiner@charlotteobserver.com Kon Knueppel pushes through
That wasn’t a figment of the imagination.
Knueppel sported an extra piece of equipment against the Knicks. He wore a heating pad on his back when he wasn’t in the game, keeping it loose.
It’s something the Hornets rookie has navigated over the past few days, but it didn’t seem to affect him much.
“I feel good,” Knueppel said. “It’s a little frustrating to have the lingering, sort of just a nagging injury. It’s not really holding you out to play, but you just don’t feel your best. So we’ve gotten it in a great spot. So, yeah, I felt like having the body fresh and playing our brand of hoops let me have a good individual game.”
Knueppel nearly recorded his first career triple-double, posting 26 points along with 11 rebounds and eight assists, draining 6 of 10 shots beyond the arc. That pushed him over the threshold of 250 made 3-pointers this season, making Knueppel the lone player in NBA history age 22 or younger to connect on that many.
“Yeah, he’s an overall player,” Charles Lee said. “I think sometimes he gets labeled as just a shooter, but we feel his impact in so many different ways. Defensively, he’s got to guard (Jalen) Brunson at times when certain guys go out or may be in foul trouble. Other teams try to target him and realize that he’s probably not as weak of a link as you think.
“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. But if you try to run him off the line or as you put two onto the ball, he also drives the ball well. And I think he makes really good rim reads.”
Digging in on ‘D’
Given the likes of LaMelo Ball and Knueppel and their offensive output, the Hornets boast the NBA’s top offense during a span that began Dec. 14. Their 120.5 offensive rating is an eye catcher.
But the Hornets’ defense has been nearly as good.
Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball, right, smiles after hitting a three-point shot over New York Knicks guard/forward Mikal Bridges, left, during action at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Thursday, March 26, 2026. JEFF SINER jsiner@charlotteobserver.com
Charlotte entered the night fifth in total defensive rating at 111 over the better portion of the past three months, and the reason is apparently not all that complicated.
“We’ve just been really connected as a unit defensively,” Sion James said, “and that just happens over time as we get to know one another and play with each other over and over. We’ve gotten used to covering for each other and helping each other out in ways that we weren’t able to early in the year.”
That observation mirrors exactly what Miles Bridges has noticed.
“It’s way more connected and guys are actually trying on defense,” Bridges said. “Moussa (Diabate) has been protecting us, Brandon (Miller) has been at a high level, Kon, LaMelo’s been getting steals. So we all just give a (darn).”
‘They’re balanced’
Knicks coach Mike Brown was very complimentary toward the Hornets.
Although the teams hadn’t faced off since Dec 3. in New York — a nearly four-month gap between meetings — Brown lauded the Hornets for their resurgence. Much has happened since, when the Hornets trudged out of Madison Square Garden with a 6-16 mark.
Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges screams as he finishes off a two-handed dunk against the New York Knicks at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Thursday, March 26, 2026. JEFF SINER jsiner@charlotteobserver.com
Charlotte is 33-18 and looks totally different.
“They’re doing a good job,” Brown said. “Charles is doing a heck of a job coaching the team. (They’re) playing fast, shooting the ‘3’ ball very well. They’re balanced, they got young guys, guys in their prime, couple older guys on there. They got a punch off the bench, especially with Coby White coming over.
“So this is just a really good, balanced team that shoots the ball well from the 3-point line and does a lot of things.”
Brown added: “They did a nice job trying to find pieces that fit during the deadline and all that other stuff. So man, you know, a lot of respect for what they have going on right now.”
This story was originally published March 26, 2026 at 9:55 PM.
The Charlotte Observer
Roderick Boone joined the Observer in September 2021 to cover the Charlotte Hornets and NBA. In his more than two decades of writing about the world of sports, he’s chronicled everything from high school rodeo to a major league baseball no-hitter to the Super Bowl to the Finals. The Long Island native has deep North Carolina roots and enjoys watching “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air” endlessly.
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