Hornets Crushed By Knicks, Davis Sits Out Game With Injury

Without Anthony Davis, the New Orleans Hornets welcomed the New York Knicks to the Hive on Tuesday night. New York owns the best record in the NBA and flexed their muscles, handing the Hornets their 4th straight loss.

Not much went right for Monty Williams and company on Tuesday, as Carmelo Anthony set the tone early, scoring 19 points in the first quarter alone. He finished the game with 29 in only 28 minutes. Knicks Center Tyson Chandler grabbed 12 rebounds in only 19 minutes of play.

While the Hornets had many issues in the loss, the biggest was rotation defense. Time and time again, the Knicks would swing the ball, or penetrate and pass to the wing. Too many times the Hornets arrived late, giving New York an open look from 3 point range. The Knicks made 14 triples, and sat their starters for the entire 4th quarter.

New Orleans got contributions from Ryan Anderson (15 pts, 8 reb), Robin Lopez (11 pts, 5 reb), Greivis Vasquez (10 points, 6 ast), and Brian Roberts (13 points, 2 ast). Rookie Austin Rivers looked more comfortable, driving to the lane to create for himself. He scored a career-high 14 points on 5 of 10 shooting while dishing out 5 assists.

Lance Thomas (pictured) gave the Hornets a spark in the second quarter, playing solid defense on Anthony which sparked a New Orleans run. Their lead was short lived, as the Knicks went up to take a lead at the half. As they have several times this season, New Orleans came out flat in the second half. The result was a 30-16 third quarter edge for the Knicks.

The Hornets now begin a four-game road swing which begins tonight in Indiana. Tip-off versus the Pacers begins at 6:00.