The Charlotte Hornets dismantled a heavily depleted New York Knicks roster to secure a 110-96 victory at Madison Square Garden on April 12, 2026. The win officially locks Charlotte into the No. 9 seed in the Eastern Conference. They will host the No. 10 Miami Heat in the upcoming Play-In tournament. New York head coach Tom Thibodeau opted for complete playoff preservation. The Knicks secured the No. 3 seed in their previous game and had nothing at stake. Thibodeau ruled out major stars Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, and OG Anunoby before tip-off. The Knicks will face the No. 6 Atlanta Hawks in the first round.
Charlotte attacked early. LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, and Coby White each poured in 19 points to pace the offense. Ball added seven rebounds and six assists. Miller contributed three rebounds, two assists, one steal, and a block. The Knicks relied entirely on their bench unit. Fans initially expected a full clash, as local broadcasts prepared for a standard finale before the late scratches. Miles McBride led the depleted New York squad with 21 points. Midseason acquisition Jose Alvarado filled the stat sheet with 16 points, five rebounds, seven assists, two steals, and a block.
Mikal Bridges had another short night to extend the NBA's longest active streak of consecutive games played, logging 23 seconds in the New York Knicks' loss to Charlotte on Sunday.#NBA #NewYorkKnicks #Charlotte #MikalBridges #news pic.twitter.com/Psdv8InHCE
— E28 News (@e28_news) April 13, 2026
A massive milestone occurred right after the opening tip. Knicks starter Mikal Bridges played just 23 seconds before intentionally fouling to sub out. The brief appearance was designed to preserve his active ironman status. He extended his consecutive games played streak to 638. That is the eighth-longest run in NBA history. Scoring milestones popped up across the final day of the regular season, much like when the Timberwolves clinched seeding out West. Hornets rookie Kon Knueppel delivered his own record-breaking performance. He scored 14 points on 5-of-14 shooting. Knueppel hit three shots from beyond the arc. He officially set a new NBA rookie record with 273 3-pointers in a single season. The final standings confirm the Hornets will stay in Charlotte for the single-elimination Play-In test.