Josh Hart pushes the Knicks ahead in the first half in a 129-101 win over the Hornets

The Knicks had an offensive explosion Wednesday night, beating the Charlotte Hornets, 129-101.

Here are the takeaways…

– Things started fast as both offenses came out shooting and shooting the ball very well in the first quarter. Josh Hartin particular, he had a fantastic first quarter in what was his second start of the season after logging 38 minutes in the win over the Nets last time out.

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The 30-year-old looked like an inspired man and scored 11 points on a perfect 4-of-4 from the field in eight minutes on the court. He also had a steal and an assist in what was a fast-paced and entertaining first quarter.

— It wasn’t just Hart, though, as every starter saw at least two baskets go by in the opening frame. Jalen Brunson (9), City of Karl-Anthony (6), Mikal Bridges (6) e Miles McBride (5), along with Hart, scored 37 points and shot 15 of 20 (75%) from the field.

— Mitchel Robinson led all with three rebounds in four minutes off the bench, while Jordan Clarkson AND Guerschón Yabusele I also saw a few minutes.

— The Hornets had a similarly strong first quarter Collin Sexton leading the scoring charge with seven points off the bench. LaMelo ball AND Bridges of miles each had five and after 12 minutes New York was ahead 37-31.

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— The scoring slowed early in the second quarter as both teams started the period 3-of-11 from the field. Nonetheless, the Knicks continued to add to their lead and went up by 15 after Brunson completed an and-one with 3:35 remaining in the half as Charlotte struggled offensively.

— Things exploded from there with New York closing the half on a 15-2 run to take complete control. The two daggers came in the final minute as Brunson and Hart each scored three points, with Hart coming in with 1.2 seconds left. The last-second 3-pointer was Hart’s third of the half as he led all scorers with 19 points (7-of-9 from the field, 3-of-3 from deep, 2-of-2 at the free throw line) heading to the locker room with the Knicks ahead, 72-47.

— Essentially from there on out, New York did well to not let the Hornets get back into the game in the second half as Brunson carried the offensive load by scoring 16 points in the third quarter. It wasn’t his most efficient night, shooting 14 of 28 from the field and 2 of 6 from three, but Brunson finished with a game-high 33 points.

— After his incredible first half, Hart took over for Brunson in the second and let the point guard do the cooking. However, Hart finished with 22 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and three steals in an all-around performance. Towns had a double-double (19 points, 10 rebounds), Bridges scored 18 points and McBride added 19 to complete the bulk of the Knicks’ scoring.

Announcement

— New York shot an incredible 57% from the field, 52% from deep and 89% from the charity stripe in one of its most impressive offensive performances, especially on the road. It was enough to earn just the team’s third road win of the season and they are now 3-5 behind MSG.

— The Knicks are now 2-1 in the NBA Cup group stage.

Game MVP: Josh Hart

Hart was everywhere in the first half and was one of the main reasons the Knicks took such a big lead at halftime.

Highlights

What’s the next step?

The Knicks return home after a five-game road trip to face the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday night in their final NBA Cup group stage matchup. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m