Knicks Release Injury Report Ahead of Hornets Game

The New York Knicks travel to Charlotte on March 27 looking to pile on a Hornets team that has no real answer for their firepower.

With the postseason picture tightening in the East, New York is currently at 48-25 and enters this one as a heavy favorite, and rightfully so. This is a statement game, and the Knicks are more than capable of delivering. But one should not ignore the injury concerns.

Knicks Injury Report

Miles McBride: Out — Pelvic Core Muscle Surgery
Trey Jemison III: Questionable — G League Two-Way
Dillon Jones: Questionable — G League Two-Way
Kevin McCullar Jr.: Questionable — G League Two-Way
Landry Shamet: Out — Right Knee Tibial Plateau Contusion

Tonight,‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌ Mohamed Diawara is a solid choice to fill the void. The French rookie has been a pretty silent but refreshing spark from the Knicks bench in March, scoring 14 points in 15 minutes against the Spurs and then adding 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting against the Wizards.

He is averaging 6.4 points per game in 15 minutes this month, demonstrating that he can produce efficiently when given the chance.

With Miles McBride and Landry Shamet both out, expect head coach Mike Brown to lean on Diawara for real minutes tonight. And if the Knicks jump out to an early lead against a depleted Hornets roster, Brown should have no hesitation letting the bench breathe, giving Diawara and others more run than usual.

Hornets Injury Report

Tosan Evbuomwan: Out — G League Two-Way
PJ Hall: Out — G League Two-Way
Pat Connaughton: Questionable — Illness

How the Knicks Take This

Karl-Anthony‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌ Towns and Jalen Brunson are the simple answer.

Karl-Anthony Towns has been phenomenal this month, averaging 21.7 points and 13.3 rebounds per game. In fact, he is leading the entire league with 51 double-doubles this season.

Brunson has been on fire too, scoring 32 points against the Pelicans earlier this week.

Charlotte's‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌ history in this matter is really harsh. In November, Brunson scorched the Hornets with 33 points while KAT contributed 19 points and 10 rebounds as the Knicks comfortably outclassed them 129-101.

Then, in early December, KAT exploded with 35 points and 18 rebounds as the Knicks eased to another victory 119-104. The trend is obvious - the Hornets haven't found a way to defeat New ‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌York.

In this game, we can expect that KAT puts up a dominant 30-point, 15-rebound performance, while Brunson stays red-hot with 28 points, and Diawara delivers a much-needed spark off the bench.

The Knicks will have an easy lead in the second quarter, and after that, Mike Brown will be giving more minutes to their bench. We can expect a 20-point victory from this one.

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