Karl-Anthony Towns achieved his 12th consecutive double-double, leading the New York Knicks to a dominant 125-101 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday night.
Towns scored 27 points on 9-of-15 shooting and grabbed 16 rebounds for the Knicks. All five of their starters scored in double digits, with OG Anunoby adding 25 points, Jalen Brunson scoring 24, Mikal Bridges contributing 19, and Josh Hart scoring 18. Hart also had a double-double with 10 rebounds.
The Hornets were led by Brandon Miller, who scored 26 points and grabbed six rebounds, but they were outshot 53.9% to 44.9% from the field. Vasilije Micic added 14 points and 12 assists, and Seth Curry came off the bench to score 18 points.
After leading 65-62 at halftime, the Knicks took control of the game in the third quarter. Charlotte stayed close early, with Miller hitting a floater to bring the deficit down to one point.
However, New York responded with a 12-0 run, pushing the lead to 77-64. Miller briefly halted the run with two free throws, but the Knicks answered with a 13-2 run, capped by a three-point play from Towns.
With a 103-78 lead going into the fourth quarter, the Knicks never let up.
The Hornets started strong, scoring 20 of the first 27 points and leading 32-30 after the first quarter. They extended their lead to 51-44 with 6:20 left in the second quarter. However, a three-pointer by Hart helped the Knicks close out the first half on a 21-11 run, taking a three-point lead into halftime.
