By Sam Perley, hornets.com
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Key Matchup vs. Knicks: Gerald Henderson vs. Tim Hardaway Jr.
Since taking over for the injured Lance Stephenson in the starting lineup on Dec. 19, Henderson has been averaging 13.8 points per game for the Hornets who are looking to make it two in a row over the host Knicks… Henderson scored a then-season-high 22 points in the last meeting between these two teams on Dec. 5 which ended in a last-second 103-102 Hornets victory in Charlotte. Henderson dropped a season-high 31 points on the road in Toronto on Jan. 8 and is averaging 17.3 points during the Hornets current four-game winning streak… Expect to see the Hornets guard matched up with New York’s second year man out of Michigan who should emerge as the Knicks primary scoring option with Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire both sidelined with knee injuries and J.R. Smith and Imam Shumpert recently traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Hardaway Jr. increased his scoring output from 9.2 points in November to 13.5 points in December but has had a dip in production in January and is only averaging 10.8 points through four games possibly related to a concussion he suffered on Dec. 31 against the Los Angeles Clippers. Hardaway Jr. should expect to see more offensive responsibility for New York as the season unfolds, especially if the Knicks continue to load their lineup with younger and less-experienced players…If Henderson can maintain his recent scoring production and not allow Hardaway Jr. to get too hot for the Knicks, the Hornets will be in great position to leave New York with a victory.
Scouting the Hornets (14-24)
Kemba Walker’s layup at the buzzer helped the Hornets put away New York in the last meeting between these two teams on Dec. 5, 103-102… Charlotte led 80-60 with 2:48 remaining in the third quarter before the Knicks surged back late in the game to take a one-point lead with four seconds to go… Gerald Henderson led the way for Charlotte with 22 points, while Al Jefferson and Lance Stephenson each chipped in 16 points for the Hornets…Gary Neal (13 points) and Kemba Walker (11 points) also finished in double figures for Charlotte… Jefferson pulled down 11 rebounds in the victory, which snapped a 10-game losing streak for Charlotte… The Hornets are currently on a season-high, four-game winning streak…Charlotte fell to the Knicks 96-93 on Nov. 2 in New York. Charlotte will host the season finale on Jan. 24… Kemba Walker scored 30-or-more points in three-consecutive games from Jan. 3-7 for the first time in his career…Walker averaged 21.7 points during the month of December, up from his November average of 13.3 points. The increase of 8.4 points was the highest in the NBA between the two months for players with a minimum of 10 games played…Cody Zeller scored a career-high 20 points against the Boston Celtics on Jan. 5. Zeller connected on 8-of-8 field goal attempts and 4-of-4 free throws becoming just the fourth player in Charlotte franchise history to not miss a shot from the field or free-throw line while attempting at least five field goals and four free throws…Michael Kidd-Gilchrist matched season-highs with 17 points and 12 rebounds against the Orlando Magic on Jan. 3 and has recorded double-doubles in four of his last five games…Gary Neal is averaging 10.5 points coming off the bench for Charlotte. Neal is also averaging 15.0 points in the two games against the Knicks this season… Charlotte continues to lead the NBA in fewest turnovers per game (11.0), offensive rebounds surrendered (8.3) and defensive rebounding percentage (79.8 percent)… Lance Stephenson (hip) and Al Jefferson (groin) remain out for the Hornets. Charlotte is 8-5 without Stephenson and 4-2 without Jefferson in the lineup this season….Kemba Walker was born and raised in New York City and graduated from Rice High School in 2008.
Scouting the Knicks (5-34)
Carmelo Anthony was the only starter to finish in double figures for New York in their last meeting against Charlotte on Dec. 5, finishing with 32 points. J.R. Smith (14 points) and Tim Hardaway Jr. (13 points) also reached double digits off the bench for the visiting Knicks…Carmelo Anthony ranks third in the NBA in scoring (23.9) but has been sidelined since Jan. 2 (knee). Anthony is not expected to play against Charlotte on Jan. 10…Amar’e Stoudemire leads the Knicks in rebounding (7.4) but is also dealing with a knee injury and has been out of the Knicks lineup since Dec. 25…Andrea Bargnani has played in just two games this season (hamstring/calf). Since joining the Knicks last season, Bargnani has appeared in just 44 games…Quincy Acy set career highs in points (19) and rebounds (14) against Memphis on Jan. 5…New York ranks 29th in the NBA in both points (93.2) and rebounds (39.5) per game…New York is last in the NBA in winning percentage (.128) and has lost 11-straight games at home…the Knicks have lost a franchise-record 14 straight in-season games and 24 of their last 25 games dating back to Nov. 22…Their previous record of 12-straight, in-season losses was set during the 1984-85 season. New York would finish the year 24-58 helping them earn the No. 1 overall pick in the 1985 NBA Draft which they used to draft Hall of Famer and current Charlotte Hornets Associate Head Coach Patrick Ewing. The Knicks would then go on to drop the first eight games of the 1985-1986 season to set the franchise record for longest losing streak at 20 games…New York shipped guards Imam Shumpert and J.R. Smith to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Jan. 5 in a three-team trade that also involved the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Knicks landed Alex Kirk, Lou Amundson, Lance Thomas and a 2019 second-round pick in the deal, although all three players were waived by New York on Jan. 7… The Knicks also waived Samuel Dalembert on Jan. 5… New York signed rookie Langston Galloway to a 10-day contract. The rookie guard out of St. Joseph’s University averaged 16.5 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 19 starts for the Westchester Knicks in the NBA Developmental League. Galloway finished with 19 points, four rebounds and three assists in 31 minutes against the Houston Rockets on Jan. 8…Derek Fisher currently holds a .128 winning percentage in his first season as Head Coach of the New York Knicks. According to Elias Sports Bureau, Bill Hanzlik of the 1997-98 Denver Nuggets holds the NBA record for worst winning percentage for a rookie head coach in a full season with .134. Hanzlik was fired after one season and never coached in the NBA again…The Knicks have lost seven-straight games by double digits, which is the longest streak in the NBA this season and the longest in franchise history.