Hornets 104, Knicks 96: Scenes from yet another starting five disaster class

For the second game in a row, the New York Knicks’ starting lineup shat all over themselves in the third quarter. And for the second game in a row, the bench brought the team back to life. They didn’t quite have the juice Wednesday night against the Bucks, and they didn’t even get the chance to finish tonight in Charlotte, as Tom Thibodeau went back to the starters to finish off a desultory 104-96 loss.

The game actually started off quite well for the Knicks, as the much-maligned Kemba Walker went off at his old home gym, finishing the first quarter with 17 points. The second unit managed to get the lead up to 16 points, but the starters lacked that first-quarter oomph before halftime, allowing the Hornets to claw back to within nine.

The third quarter was a massacre from the outset, as Charlotte went on a quick 22-5 run. By the time the dust settled, they had built an 11-point lead.

But the Knicks’ magnificent bench unit would not let that stand. They fought back to take a two-point lead in the fourth, when Miles Bridges — yet another awesome young player drafted after Kevin Knox — went off. Thibs went back to (mostly) the starters, and that was all she wrote.

Shitty game. Recap to come.