Feb. 21, 2026, 3:13 p.m. ET<\/p>\n
Charlotte Hornets<\/a> rookie Kon Knueppel registered his fifth 30-point performance of the season on Friday and made a bit of history during a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.<\/p>\n Knueppel finished with 33 points, six rebounds, two assists and one steal in the 118-113 loss at the Spectrum Center. He went 11-of-20 from the field, including seven 3-pointers, in 37 minutes as the Hornets dropped to 26-31 this season.<\/p>\n The fourth overall pick overcame a slow start after recording only three points in the first quarter. He tallied 15 points in the second quarter alone, helping the Hornets rally back from a 14-point deficit to remain competitive the rest of the way.<\/p>\n “I never have to worry too much about him finding his offense or having to cater to him,” Hornets coach Charles Lee said<\/a>. “It is one of the beauties of who he is as a player. He feeds and works off of everyone else so well. He looks for opportunities. He doesn’t force too much. He finds a couple of shots to go in or a couple of those offensive rebound kick-outs, and it gets him going a little bit more. … I just love that he sticks with it and consistently tries to make the right play.”<\/p>\n Knueppel is averaging 19.1 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists while shooting 43.3% from 3-point range in 56 appearances this season with the Hornets.\u00a0He leads all players in the league in total 3-pointers (193) and is first among rookies in total scoring (1,069).<\/p>\n Need a news break? Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!<\/a><\/p>\n The 20-year-old surpassed Donovan Mitchell for second place on the all-time single-season rookie 3-point leaderboard. With the performance, Knueppel is now the third rookie in history with multiple games of at least 30 points and seven 3s.<\/p>\n Knueppel is on pace to shatter the rookie 3-point record for a season, set by\u00a0Sacramento Kings<\/a>\u00a0forward Keegan Murray in 2022-23 (206<\/a>). He has established himself as one of the top rookies in recent memory and is grateful for his success.<\/p>\n