NBA Matchups: November 12

New York Knicks at Charlotte Hornets

Team Totals: Knicks 112.8, Hornets 110.8

Injury Report: P.J. Washington (O, elbow), Nerlens Noel (Q, knee)

Knicks projected starters: Kemba Walker, Evan Fournier, R.J. Barrett, Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson

Hornets projected starters: LaMelo Ball, Terry Rozier, Gordon Hayward, Miles Bridges, Mason Plumlee

Thibodeau quotes: Said the Knicks have to correct steals, rebounds, and fast breaks, said they did not read the Julius Randle defense and they didn’t get enough open shots when teams “load up” on Randle, said Taj Gibson sprained his ankle, said Nerlens Noel warmed up and he said he needed another day on Wednesday.

Borrego quotes: Said Oubre having a big game off the bench will be huge and someone off the bench always seems to come through in wins, said he’s trying to cut down on practices early in the season with the schedule and the most road games in the NBA so far.

Stats and Notes: 

*If you like open 3-pointers, this is the matchup for you. These two teams rank in the top three in wide-open treys allowed per game (Knicks first, Hornets third). The Hornets also have the worst defense in the NBA after they score on their end, so even their set defense is just bad and the Knicks should certainly be able to take advantage. The Hornets are still No. 1 in the NBA in their time of possession off opponent makes on the other end, getting them to fourth overall (just 0.2 seconds off the lead), while the Knicks are just below average. The Knicks’ defense is also very bad overall, and their starters are getting torched with a 119.3 D rating for the worst in the NBA (among 40 lineups with 48+ minutes).

*On top of the starters stat above, New York’s bench is smashing, putting up a 92.8 D rating for tops among lineups with 65 minutes. The starters should have a pretty good chance to put up some numbers, but there’s going to be massive risk on guys like Kemba, Fournier, and to an extent Barrett because Thibs really thinks in terms of his starters and bench. It’s a pretty good matchup for the perimeter guys, but I wouldn’t be too aggressive. 

*Julius Randle also should be in a good spot. The Hornets will run a lot of zone to give Randle a lot of room on his little mid-range-ish looks to go with a pretty solid dime floor. I don’t love him, but he’s a decent play in what should be a high-scoring game.

*Man, this has to be a Scary Terry spot. The Knicks’ perimeter defense is among the worst in the league right now, and it’s not going to get fixed overnight. Assuming his price is down, I’d be into him in a big way. LaMelo is also in a very good spot, especially with his minutes finally starting to trend up.

*Miles Bridges has lost his jumper a bit, but he also ran into some tougher spots. Not here, though. The Knicks have been lit up by frontcourt players so far this year, and he will get a ton of clean looks against this porous 3-point defense.

Milwaukee Bucks at Boston Celtics (front end)