The Charlotte Hornets defeated the visiting New York Knicks, 107 - 102, at Spectrum Center on Saturday. After playing a competitive game on Friday, these two teams put up a similar fight on Saturday. The game flow was a bit different though, as there were only six combined lead changes and ties after nearly 40 on Friday. Charlotte got out to a hot start, as they led 38 - 22 after the first quarter. New York fought back to take their first and only lead in the fourth quarter, but could n't quite hold off a late fury by the Hornets. Defense was key for Charlotte, as they held New York to 38 percent from the field and 37 percent from three - point range. The Hornets also took advantage of the whistle, taking 21 more free - throw attempts than the Knicks. New York (8 - 8) had the tough task of winning both games of a home - and - home set and they did all they could to hang around in this tight loss. Kristaps Porzingis led the team in scoring, dropping 25 points and grabbing six boards. Derrick Rose fell just shy of a triple - double, accumulating 18 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Carmelo Anthony also scored 18 points, adding eight rebounds on an ugly 7 - of - 25 shooting. On deck for the Knicks is a home matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday. Charlotte (9 - 7) had to play this game extremely shorthanded, but they got some huge performances from unexpected sources. Jeremy Lamb was the biggest surprise, as he scored a season - high 18 points and grabbed a career - high 17 rebounds in his first start with the Hornets. Kemba Walker led the team in scoring, tallying 28 points, three assists and three blocks in the win. Cody Zeller recorded a double - double, totaling 11 points and 10 rebounds. Starters Nicolas Batum and Marvin Williams both sat out this game with differing injuries. The Hornets will return to action on Monday, when they play the Memphis Grizzlies on the road.
["TeamStat(G,'Hornets') has 7 Percentage of 3 points ,has 107 Percentage of field goals ,has 38 Losses ,has 9 Total points ."
 "TeamStat(G,'Knicks') has 38 Percentage of 3 points ,has 37 Percentage of field goals ,has 8 Losses ,has 102 Total points ,has 22 Points in 1st quarter ,has 8 Wins ."]