Hornets 97, Knicks 87: Scenes from a matinee crap-a-thon

Monday afternoon was the annual MLK Day matinee at Madison Square Garden. Did anyone bother to tell the Knicks players that there was a game this afternoon? I wonder, because pretty much the entire team played like they didn’t know a competitive NBA contest happening. The Charlotte Hornets are a pretty darn good team, even without the services of LaMelo Ball, and they made the Knicks pay. Don’t bother looking at the final score — this one was a laugher pretty much from halftime on.

Hornets forward Miles Bridges came out on fire, scoring a career-high 22 points in the first quarter as the Hornets built an 11-point lead. Julius Randle didn’t seem particularly interested in guarding Bridges, and his teammates also couldn’t be bothered to pick him up in transition. To his credit, rookie Quentin Grimes took the tough assignment in the fourth quarter and tried his best, but Bridges kept hitting circus shots anyway. Sometimes it’s just your day.

The Knicks have little time to rest, as they play the Timberwolves tomorrow night. Recap to come. Enjoy the holiday.