Offense Hums as Knicks Humble the Hornets

KAT is currently averaging more points than Devin Booker and Donovan Mitchell and more rebounds than everyone in the NBA while shooting a higher percentage from 3PT range than Steph Curry.

Final Score: Knicks 125 - Hornets 101
Record: 14-8

You know things are going well for the Knicks when the most challenging part about starting this newsletter after each game is choosing which player to praise first.

Last night's hammering of the Hornets was no different, as each member of the starting five made significant contributions to the cause.

When New York got off to a slow start, spotting the short-handed Charlotte squad a 12-point lead, Jalen Brunson put the team on his back. The Captain scored 19 points (on just six FG attempts) in the first quarter, shooting 4-of-4 from behind the arc and 5-of-6 from the stripe.

Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges went to work in the second. The Hornets dared Hart to shoot, so he knocked down all four of his three-point attempts in Q2. Bridges did his damage in the paint, finishing with 11 points in the quarter, as New York took a slim lead into halftime.

After the break, OG Anunoby took over on both ends of the floor. The 3-and-D Deity scored 15 points in the third quarter, sinking three treys and blocking two three-pointers on back-to-back possessions for good measure. Karl-Anthony Towns closed the show in the final frame, scoring a team-high 12 points (on four FG attempts) in the fourth quarter.

Sum it all up, and you get yet another lopsided victory in which each member of the starting five scored at least 18 points.

After completing the trade for KAT, we discussed how the Knicks' new five-man unit had a chance to establish itself as a historically dominant offensive force. Well, they have somehow exceeded expectations.

Coming into this 2024-25 campaign, per NBA Tracking data, no starting unit had ever averaged more than 92 points per game. In fact, only two teams had ever averaged more than 91 PPG: The world champion Boston Celtics last season (at 91.3) and the iconic "Seven Seconds or Less" Suns team in 2004-05 (at 91.8), which won 62 games under Mike D'Antoni and MVP Steve Nash.

The Knicks' five-man starting unit is currently averaging… wait for it… 97.5 points per game.