Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – Kon Knueppel scored 26 points as the Charlotte Hornets maintained their late-season charge for an NBA playoff berth with an emphatic 114-103 defeat of the high-flying New York Knicks on Thursday. Charlotte forward Knueppel rattled in six three-pointers as part of an impressive all-round team shooting display to help the Hornets extend their winning streak to five games as they chase a postseason ticket. LaMelo Ball finished with 22 points, six assists, and five rebounds, one of five Charlotte players to finish in double digits.
The Hornets have now won 23 of their last 29 games since late January, and are firmly in the thick of the Eastern Conference race for the playoffs. With sixth-placed Toronto occupying the last automatic playoff spot at 40-32, Charlotte is part of a cluster of teams jostling for position just below them. Philadelphia occupies seventh place on 40-33 while Charlotte, Orlando, and Miami all have identical 39-34 records.
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Charlotte’s blistering form is part of a remarkable turnaround this season for the franchise, which finished just one place off the bottom of the Eastern Conference last season with just 19 wins. Orlando kept pace with Charlotte on Thursday with a 121-117 defeat of the Sacramento Kings, thanks to 30 points from Paolo Banchero and 23 from Desmond Bane.
In Thursday’s other game, the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons bounced back from Wednesday’s overtime defeat to Atlanta with a comfortable 129-108 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. With Cade Cunningham still absent as he recovers from a collapsed lung, Jalen Duren took on the offensive duties with 30 points and 10 rebounds. Kevin Huerter added 22 points while Daniss Jenkins chipped in with 19. The Pistons improved to 53-20 and enjoy a comfortable four-and-a-half game lead at the top of the East.
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