CHARLOTTE — The Knicks might be stuffed for Thanksgiving after devouring the Hornets.
Mike Brown’s new lineup was good. Historically good.
With Mitchell Robinson moving to the bench, the five Knicks starters all scored in double digits in the opening half of Wednesday’s 129-101 obliteration of the Hornets.
It was the first time that every Knicks starter had at least 10 points at the break since the 1996-97 season — when those statistics were first tracked.
The reward was a 25-point lead at the break for the Knicks (11-6), and a Jalen Brunson breeze to the final buzzer in front of a heavy pro-Knicks crowd in Charlotte (4-14).
Brunson dropped a game-high 33 points on 14-of-28 shooting in 34 minutes.
Brown’s dominating lineup included Josh Hart and Miles McBride, both of whom shined in the first half. Hart, in particular, was a force, ending the second quarter with 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting with four assists and four rebounds.
Jalen Brunson, who scored a game-high 33 points, drives to the basket during the Knicks’ 129-101 blowout road win over the Hornets on Nov. 16, 2025. NBAE via Getty Images
He scored only three points in the second half and it was still an overwhelmingly positive performance.
A clear purpose of the lineup was to keep Karl-Anthony Towns at center, rather than power forward, as evidenced by Brown’s substitutions.
When Towns was in the first half, Robinson was out.
And vice versa.
Josh Hart, who scored 22 points, looks to make a pass during the Knicks’ blowout road win over the Hornets. NBAE via Getty Images
The strategy worked well two nights earlier in Brooklyn, where Robinson was inactive because of an illness and Towns, playing center, dominated the Nets.
In Charlotte, Towns didn’t light up the boxscore — he finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds in 32 minutes — but the first half was encouraging. He fought for better position to receive the ball, posting up smaller defenders and scoring inside against Miles Bridges.
Brown went back to a double-big lineup in the second half with Robinson at center and Towns at power forward.
Robinson finished the night with no points and four rebounds in 15 minutes. He was mostly a nonfactor. McBride, meanwhile, finished his best game of the season with 19 points on 6-of-8 shooting in 39 minutes.
The Hornets, headed toward another miserable season, got 11 points from LaMelo Ball on 4-for-14 shooting in 27 minutes.
Ball continued his career trend of running counter to winning.
Karl-Anthony Towns, who had 19 points and 10 rebounds, in the Knicks’ road blowout win over the Hornets. NBAE via Getty Images
The victory was also part of the NBA Cup competition, assuring the Knicks control their destiny for the final group play game on Black Friday against the Bucks.
A win means they’ll advance to the quarterfinals. A loss means they can only advance as a wild card.
The tournament implications weren’t lost on Brown.
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He kept his starters in the game late in the blowout, running up the score for point differential purposes before emptying the bench with 2:17 remaining.
Mikal Bridges taunted the Hornets bench after collecting a steal and layup, prompting an irritated Hornets coach Charles Lee to say something angrily to the Knicks guard.
“Yes, we talk about [the NBA Cup],” Brown said. “I think in life, pressure is a privilege, so you try to manufacture it from time to time. I think if you’re in a situation where there is pressure, you’re doing pretty good, because obviously if you’re competitive, you’re going to put pressure on yourself no matter what. So trying to feel it from the outside a little bit as much as you can is a privilege, and it gets you ready for the postseason in my opinion, so I bring it up to our guys.”
The starters certainly responded.