Knicks 110, Hornets 107: Scenes from Courtney Lee’s fourth-quarter explosion

That was unexpected! Seemed like the Knicks were headed for yet another loss at home to a fairly mediocre team, but Courtney Lee picked the team up off the floor midway through the fourth and basically dragged our boys to a win. It was fun to watch! Let’s get right to the highlights.

Kristaps Porzingis started the game off scorching hot, scoring 10 of the Knicks’ first 12 points on 4/4 shooting:

New York wasn’t able to build a legitimate lead, however, as Carmelo Anthony and Derrick Rose both played poorly in the first half. Here’s a good example of that awful Rose defense we’ve come to know and hate:

Luckily, our lord and savior Kristaps stayed killin’ it. I think it’s safe to say KP’s Achilles tendon was feeling fresh tonight:

The Knicks opened up an 11-point lead with about 3 minutes remaining in the half, but shitty defense allowed the Hornets to cut it to 3 by the end of the quarter:

After halftime, the bad defense continued (shocker!). Marvin Williams started hitting a bunch of threes:

Melo picked it up a bit in the third quarter, but it wasn’t enough to keep the Knicks in front, as Charlotte held a 5-point lead heading into the fourth:

So, yeah, things didn’t look too great for the Knicks. Derrick Rose left in the third after injuring his ankle and was ruled out for the game; Brandon Jennings got hot for a spell, but then immediately reverted to awful Jennings mode. The deficit never got too large, but regardless, it seemed like New York would lay down and let Charlotte cruise to a win.

Then Courtney Lee took over. Lee contributed 9 points and an assist in the final 4 and a half minutes of the game, which, along with his usual solid defense, almost single-handedly put the Knicks ahead. Unbelievably, I couldn’t find a single highlight from Lee’s scoring binge, so you’ll all have to settle for his celebration after he assisted Jennings on a corner 3 that pretty much locked up the win:

Pump that fist, Courtney. You deserve it.

Joe’s got your happy recap. Yay Knicks!