The Hornets failed in their first attempt to get up to the .500 mark since they were 1-1, and if they keep playing defense the way they have been, it might be a long time before that get another shot at the breakeven mark. The Hornets dropped to 10-12 after a 113-96 loss at home to the Knicks on Friday night. The Hornets entered the game tied for sixth-to-last in the NBA in field-goal percentage defense (47.2), eighth-worst in scoring defense (102.2), and tied for eighth-worst in three-point field-goal defense (36.6). All of those averages worsened as the Knicks scored the second-most points by a Hornets' opponent since Jeff Bower took over as coach 13 games ago, shot 55.1 percent from the floor, and 52 percent on three-pointers.
"Our defense was unbelievable," guard Chris Paul said. "We've got to change that. We had a few games where our defense was good, but it was horrible (Friday night). It shows that we've got to do better.
"At home, we've been a really good team and these are the kind of games you've got to win. We've just got to find a way to get (the momentum) back."
It gets harder for the Hornets as they next head to Dallas to play the Southwest Division-leading Mavericks on Monday night.
KNICKS 113, HORNETS 96: The Knicks outscored the Hornets, 60-34, in the second half to pull away to victory in a game in which they trailed by 16 points. The Knicks scored the final 18 points of the game as they held the Hornets scoreless for nearly the last five minutes. The Hornets couldn't slow down the Knicks after halftime and they couldn't generate any consistent offense. They made just 6-of-27 three-pointers (22 percent) after making 45 percent in their previous three games. The Hornets made just nine field goals in the second half.
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