Forward Gordon Hayward added 34 points as the Charlotte Hornets’ leading scorer and kept them winners for the fourth consecutive game after beating the New York Knicks 103-88 on Monday, who suffered their third loss in a row.
Hayward, 30, the Hornets’ great winter break signing, confirmed that he is the new franchise player and also plays his best professional basketball.
Hayward’s shooting inspiration, with an average of 29.2 points per game, has been the key to the Hornets’ triumphs (6-5), who have also taken advantage of the 55 percent accuracy they have had in shooting from the field. and 92% from the personnel line.
Hayward scored 28 points in the first half on 8 of 12 shots from the field and 10 of 10 shots from the personnel line to give the Hornets a 57-50 lead at halftime.
The Hornets’ star forward ended the game with 11 of 17 shots from the field that always hurt the Knicks who did not have much strength to defend after playing games at night in a row.
“That’s why we brought Gordon Hayward here,” Hornets coach James Borrego said. “He sets the tone for us and came out aggressive. He understands the meaning of each game.”
Point guard Devonte Graham had 19 points and seven assists as the Hornets’ second-leading scorer, and power forward PJ Washington had another 13 points.
Forward Kevin Knox scored 19 points as leader of the Knicks (5-6), and center Mitchell Robinson got a double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds that left him the best in the inside game, but he could not avoid the defeat of the New York team.
The Hornets scored 24 points on the Knicks’ 17 turnovers. Charlotte committed 10 turnovers while climbing above .500 for the first time this season.
Power forward Julius Randle, who entered the game with averages of 23.2 points and 11.8 rebounds per game for the Knicks, could not maintain the same production and finished with just 11 points and captured five balls under the hoops.
