Hornets: Charlotte vs. New York Knicks preview, TV, live stream, odds

The Charlotte Hornets head north to take on Kristaps Porzingis and the New York Knicks. Can the Hornets keep the “Unicorn” from another career night?

Who knew all you had to do was drop two legends to become a better team? Carmelo Anthony cried his way to a trade and Phil Jackson got kicked to the curb from his peyote-smoke filled ranch in Montana, but the Knicks (5-4) have promise. Meanwhile, the Hornets (5-5) head to New York on a two-game losing streak looking like their normal middling Eastern Conference selves.

Kristaps Porzingis looks like the player people high on him thought he could be. He was just named Eastern Conference Player of the Week and is coming off a career-high 40-point performance in a win over Indiana. The Knicks have won five of their last six games after starting the season 0-3.

The Hornets have been a thoroughly average basketball team without that hope that a physical freak like Porzingis provides. Kemba Walker continues to lead the team in scoring and assists at 21.9 points per game and 6.1 assists per game. Nicolas Batum is eyeing a return in about a week, which will add a much-needed spark. Rookie Malik Monk is coming off a game in which he got a career-high eight assists.  Unfortunately, the Kentucky product that was such an electric scorer in college is only shooting 34 percent from the field and averaging less than nine points per game.

Here’s how you can watch Tuesday’s Charlotte Hornets vs. New York Knicks game:

Date: Tuesday, Nov. 7
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: New York City, NY
Venue: Madison Square Garden
TV: Fox Sports Southeast
Live Stream: FoxSportsGo

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The Hornets are surprising two-point favorites on the road. This line is completely inexplicable to me. If they had me setting the line, the Knicks would be no less than five-point favorites. Dwight Howard may be better than some at defending Kristaps Prozingis in his prime, but I’m not sure Howard can stay with him now especially with a nagging foot injury. This feels like a trap from the sportsbooks. I’m willing to ride the home dog right into the trap. The total is 209.

Prediction:  Knicks 110, Hornets 106