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Knicks’ Josh Hart caps off 19-point 1st half with textbook 3-point heater
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- Knicks’ Josh Hart caps off 19-point 1st half with textbook 3-point heater
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The post Knicks' Josh Hart caps off 19-point 1st half with textbook 3-point heater appeared first on ClutchPoints .
Josh Hart turned Spectrum Center into his personal shooting clinic. The New York Knicks forward came out blazing against the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday, dropping 19 points in the first half and drilling all three of his 3-point attempts, including a smooth triple with 1.2 seconds left in the second quarter to put an exclamation mark on the Knicks' surge.
Behind Hart's heater, the New York Knicks walked into halftime up 72-47, blowing open an NBA Cup group-play game that was supposed to be a routine road test but quickly turned into a statement. New York entered the night at 10-6, while the Charlotte Hornets were trying to stop a skid at 4-13.
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Hart didn't just score; he controlled the game. According to the ESPN box score, he piled up 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting, 3-of-3 from deep, with four rebounds and four assists in 20 minutes, giving the Knicks exactly the kind of two-way spark they've needed with Landry Shamet sidelined by a shoulder injury.
Karl-Anthony Towns bullied Charlotte inside with 14 points and seven rebounds by early in the third, while Jalen Brunson added 31 points as the Knicks' offense hummed along at nearly 60 percent shooting from the field and better than 50 percent from beyond the arc. Mikal Bridges chipped in 12, and Miles McBride gave them 13 efficient points to round out a starting five that looked completely in control.
On the other side, Brandon Miller tried to keep the Charlotte Hornets afloat with 13 points, but LaMelo Ball stumbled out of the gate at 3-of-11 from the floor, and Charlotte simply couldn't trade punches with Hart and the Knicks' shotmaking.
Related: Knicks' Landry Shamet out at least 4 weeks with shoulder injury
