Knicks use big third quarter to overcome Hornets
: RJ Barrett #9 high-fives Reggie Bullock #25 of the New York Knicks during the second half against the Charlotte Hornets at Madison Square Garden on April 20, 2021 in New York City. Sarah Stier/Getty Images/AFP
RJ Barrett scored 18 of his 24 points as part of a huge third quarter for the New York Knicks as they topped the visiting Charlotte Hornets 109-97 on Tuesday night.
The Knicks (32-27) won their seventh game in a row, shooting 48.2 percent from the field.
New York’s offense also received a boost from reserves Derrick Rose and Immanuel Quickley, who each racked up 17 points.
Julius Randle and Reggie Bullock chipped in with 16 points apiece. Randle also had 10 rebounds and seven assists, though his streak of games with 30 or more points ended at four.
The @nyknicks pick up their 7th straight win behind 24 PTS, 6 3PM from RJ Barrett. pic.twitter.com/rF509e1fuM
— NBA (@NBA) April 21, 2021
Charlotte was led by P.J. Washington, who came off the bench for 26 points — bolstered by six 3s — and Terry Rozier scored 21 points. Miles Bridges posted 15 points and 14 rebounds and Jalen McDaniels had 11 points.
The Hornets (28-29) have lost five of their last six games. They led 66-60 at halftime, but that edge vanished within three minutes of the second half, with Barrett hitting a pair of 3-point shots to cap a 12-3 surge for the Knicks.
New York ended up outscoring the Hornets in the third quarter, 31-16.
Bullock’s fifth 3-pointer of the game made it 102-90 with less than seven minutes remaining. The Hornets scored the next five points before Barrett connected on another 3-pointer to get the Knicks’ lead back to 10 with 3:38 to play.
The Knicks finished 18-for-45 on 3-pointers, launching more than half of its 83 shots in the game from long range. Barrett went 6-for-11 from beyond the arc, while Quickley hit four 3s.
The Hornets, who used just nine players, failed to reach the 100-point mark for the fifth time in 11 games this month.
Washington made six 3-pointers and Rozier had four 3s for Charlotte, which shot 16-for-39 from beyond the arc. The Hornets were just 3-for-8 on free throws, while the Knicks made 11 of 12 from the foul line.
