New York Knicks Vs. Charlotte Hornets: Predictions, Starting Lineups (11/18/23)
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The Charlotte Hornets and New York Knicks will dual in what will be the second night of a back-to-back for both teams. See our Knicks vs. Hornets predictions, betting picks, injury report, and odds below!
New York Knicks Vs. Charlotte Hornets Prediction
Don’t look now, but the New York Knicks are winners of four of their past five games, including a 129-107 win over the Hornets, whom they will face off with later today. Their only loss in that span came on the road to the fully loaded Boston Celtics, arguably the best team in the NBA. During that stretch, they have had the fourth-highest net rating in the NBA and have beaten opponents by an average of nearly nine points while boasting a team shooting split of 47/43/75.
Further, two of New York’s five total losses this season have come at the hands of the Celtics, while the Pelicans, Cavaliers, and Bucks have also secured wins against the Knicks. In short, New York is doing its job: beating teams it should beat and competing with teams that are at its talent level or even above.
Charlotte falls into the category of “teams New York should beat”; the Hornets are 3-8 and have lost five of their past six games. Additionally, they boast a 1-5 home record. Yikes.
Miles Bridges will bring a bit more offense to a team that ranks middle-of-the-road in many key offensive statistical categories; however, he won’t help a defense that ranks dead-last in defensive rating, 29th in opponent eFG%, and 28th in opponent 3P%.
New York Knicks Vs. Charlotte Hornets Prediction: Knicks -6.5
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New York Knicks Vs. Charlotte Hornets Best Odds
The New York Knicks are 6.5-point road favorites against Charlotte on Saturday evening. The Knicks have moneyline odds of -270, while the Hornets are +220 to win outright. For this matchup, the Over/Under stands at 226.5.
New York Knicks Starting Lineup
PG: Jalen Brunson
SG: R.J. Barrett
SF: Josh Hart
PF: Julius Randle
C: Mitchell Robinson
Charlotte Hornets Starting Lineup
PG: LaMelo Ball
SG: Brandon Miller
SF: Gordon Hayward
PF: P.J. Washington
C: Mark Williams
New York Knicks Vs. Charlotte Hornets Injuries
With Miles Bridges being available to play again, the Charlotte Hornets are completely healthy and can deploy anyone on their roster. Meanwhile, the Knicks will miss Quentin Grimes, who suffered a hand injury; R.J. Barrett is still questionable to play due to an illness, so check in throughout the day to see whether or not he is planning on suiting up.
New York Knicks Vs. Charlotte Hornets Key Matchups
The two starting centers, Mark Williams and Mitchell Robinson make up our key matchup of the game between the Knicks and Hornets. The analysis of which player has an advantage and could help their respective team win is below.
Mark Williams vs. Mitchell Robinson
It should come as no surprise that the New York Knicks are again towards the top of the NBA in most rebounding statistics. As a matter of fact, New York ranks first in total rebounding rate, first in defensive rebounding percentage, and second in offensive rebounding percentage. Further, the Knicks are fourth in second-chance points and first in opponent second-chance points.
Despite their absolute dominance on the glass, the Knicks don’t score much in the paint, which is challenging to wrap our heads around; they have an interior bruiser in Julius Randle, an offensive rebounding machine in Mitchell Robinson, and a strong penetrator in R.J. Barrett. Yet, somehow, this team ranks 29th in points in the paint. Still, this is ultimately not a concern, as New York ranks fifth in opponent points in the paint.
Mark Williams has averaged just shy of 15 points and nine rebounds per game this season on 74.4% shooting from the field, highlighting his dominance around the basket whether it is an offensive putback, a lob from LaMelo Ball, or a dump-down pass from any Charlotte driver.
Unfortunately for Williams, production will be hard to come by all game, with the combination of Robinson and Isaiah Hartenstein throwing their weight at him down low, protecting the paint from lobs, and gaining a favorable rebounding position to deter strong offensive rebounders. Robinson might not score much, but his impact on this game and against players like Williams is undeniable; he should hold him to a modest output and help New York control the glass and paint.
Advantage: Robinson.
