Knicks Humble the Hornets, Cruise to Third Straight Win

Final Score: Knicks 129 - Hornets 107
Knicks Record: 5-4

Exactly one week ago at this time, the Knicks were sitting two games below .500 at 2-4 and about to start a three-game homestand with a matchup against a talented Clipper squad. The vibes amongst New York's fanbase weren't exactly immaculate.

Seven days later, the Knicks are above .500 for the first time all season.

After crushing the Clips and smacking the Spurs, New York closed out their homestead with a beatdown of the Hornets on Sunday afternoon. The victory over Charlotte was a true "team win," as the 'Bockers got solid contributions from nearly all their rotation regulars. Five Knicks scored in double-figures in the first half, and Julius Randle, Jalen Brunson, and RJ Barrett all poured in 20+ points by the time the final buzzer sounded.

Yet, since we spent plenty of time praising those three last week, let's show Immanuel Quickley some extra love in this newsletter.

IQ had a fantastic all-around showing on Sunday, tallying 17 points, a game-high nine assists (vs. just one turnover), five rebounds, and four three-pointers. He shot 5-of-9 from the floor and 4-of-6 from downtown. The Knicks outscored the Hornets by 22 points in the 25 minutes Quick was on the court.

After a strong season opener, IQ couldn't locate his jumper for a couple of contests but has been producing (as expected) at a very high level of late on both ends of the floor. Over the Knicks' last six games, he is averaging 15.5 points, 4.3 dimes, 3.0 boards and 2.0 triples, while shooting 50% from the floor, 40% from behind the arc and 87% from the charity stripe.

As has been the case basically since he arrived in New York, Quickley has been an integral part of the Knicks bench unit. He does a great job alternating between facilitating the offense and looking for his own shot. He creates scoring opportunities for teammates if opponents tag too closely on pick-and-roll action, but will burn them from deep if they sag off.

According to Synergy Sports data, New York is averaging a whopping 1.43 points per possession (with a 72.9% eFG%) on pick-and-roll plays when Quickley serves as the ball-handler. That is the highest PPP in the NBA among all players who run at least four P&Rs per game.

Here are the top four qualified players ranked by points per possession as P&R ball-handlers:

1. Immanuel Quickley: 1.43 PPP
2. Paul George: 1.30
3. De'Aaron Fox: 1.27
4. Tyrese Haliburton: 1.23