Knicks vs. Hornets: How, Who To Watch In Chase of Seventh Heaven

The New York Knicks briefly leave home to face the lowly Charlotte Hornets on Monday night.

For better and worse, there's a buzz around the New York Knicks. 

The Knicks own the NBA's longest active winning streak, having prevailed in each of their last six. But the basketball world is watching in the wake of Julius Randle's early departure from the last entry to that tally, suffering a dislocated shoulder in a Saturday visit from Miami.

Randle will miss at least one game due to the ailment, as he has already been ruled out of the Knicks' Monday night visit to Spectrum Center which sees New York facing the hosting Charlotte Hornets. It's the fourth and final meeting between New York and Charlotte this season, with the Knicks prevailing in each of the first three. New York has not taken a four-game set from the Hornets franchise since 1991-92.

Whereas the Knicks are surging up the Eastern Conference leaderboard (sitting in fourth entering the week), the Hornets have been swatted throughout the new year: the team has dropped 11 of its past 14 and recently bid farewell to Terry Rozier in a trade with the aforementioned Miami Heat. Charlotte did manage to post a shocking upset victory last Monday night, escaping from Minneapolis with a 128-125 triumph over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Monday's game will serve as the Knicks' only excursion outside of New York City over an active 14-game stretch. They'll finish that trek with six more at Madison Square Garden, beginning with the latter half of a back-to-back on Tuesday against Utah.

What: New York Knicks (29-17) @ Charlotte Hornets (10-34) 

Where: Spectrum Center, Charlotte, NC

When/Watch: Monday, 7 p.m. ET, MSG

Who's Favored: NYK -7.5

Keep An Eye On: Josh Hart

Hart holds a curious space on the current Knicks landscape: the Knicks continue to insist he has a spot in the post, even though Hart himself sees things differently ("F*** no, I'm a guard," Hart said when asked about his interior fit, per Peter Botte of the New York Post). Currently in the first year of a five-year financial commitment, the Knicks also haven't gotten the consistent returns they saw out of Hart when he came over from Portland at last season's trade deadline. But with Obi Toppin gone and no true backup power forward in tow (it's possible Precious Achiuwa could eventually fill that role), Hart's interior frame will likely be called upon to weather how long the Randle-free storm is going to be. Jalen Brunson got to see a taste of what primary rebounder Hart could offer at the FIBA Basketball World Cup over the summer and glimpses of that international prowess have emerged in the near year: in 13 January appearances, Hart is pulling in 7.9 boards a game.

Hornet to Watch: Brandon Miller

It is undoubtedly Miller Time in Charlotte in more ways than one: Rozier is gone, headliner LaMelo Ball (ankle) is questionable, Mark Williams (back) is out, and the team continues to deal with questions about their loyalty to Miles Bridges. The one thing the Hornets might have to play for this season, other than lottery ground, is the development of Miller, the second overall pick of the most recent draft. Miller has struggled in the post-Rozier aftermath, shooting just over 30 percent from the field in the past two games, including 1-of-10 from three-point range. If Charlotte accomplishes anything in this lost season, it should have something to do with establishing Miller as an undisputedly reliable top option. 

They Said It

“We got confidence in everybody. I think the luxury we have is that we even got starters on the bench. If someone goes out, we have the luxury (that) when a guy goes down, we have guys that can step up. … (Randle is) a big part of what we do, but I have a lot of confidence in our guys.”-Isaiah Hartenstein on the Knicks' mindset after Randle's injury. (h/t Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News)

Randle OUT Monday vs. Hornets

Prediction

One has to respect the case of "Any Given Sunday," or Monday as this case may be, working its way into the NBA. After all, the Knicks have basketball's longest winning streak thanks to the Oklahoma City Thunder somehow falling to the Detroit Pistons by double figures. But if the Knicks can't beat the already-reeling Hornets, a group that just traded away one of its leading contributors for foundational assets, with or without Randle, they've got bigger issues.

Knicks 122, Hornets 99