Knicks continue search for missing form against Hornets

The New York Knicks don't want to be going in the wrong direction at the wrong time.

Making things right Thursday night in a road game against the Charlotte Hornets would be a good next step.

"We have to make it easier for each other," Knicks veteran Josh Hart said. "We have to play-make for each other and put each other in good situations to be successful."

The Knicks (43-25) have lost five of their past eight games, including a 120-105 setback at San Antonio on Wednesday.

"We knew it was going to be tough," Hart said. "We've had a tough schedule the last couple of weeks. We just weren't there physically or mentally."

Mikal Bridges has been a big force on offense over the past week, leading the Knicks in scoring in two of the past four games with 33 and 28 points. He had only 14 points against the Spurs.

The Knicks are 10-1 this season when Bridges exceeds the 25-point mark.

The Hornets (17-51) have dropped two games in a row, giving up more than 90 points through three quarters in both of those contests.

Less than a week after all of the Charlotte players without long-term injuries were available for a game, the team is dealing with injury woes again.

At the top of the list is guard LaMelo Ball, who has been the team's leading scorer but missed a bunch of games with various injuries. He is considered probable to play Thursday despite a wrist ailment that kept him out of the most recent game.

"I've seen a lot of really good things from Melo," coach Charles Lee said. "And after evaluation, between nicks and bruises, it just didn't seem like it was in his best interest (for him to play Tuesday)."

In Ball's absence, the Hornets were blasted 134-102 by the visiting Atlanta Hawks. Charlotte shot 10-for-30 from 3-point range, with fill-in starter Seth Curry draining four of those shots from beyond the arc.

Moussa Diabate went down in the Atlanta game with a right leg injury, and he is listed as questionable to face the Knicks.

"He has brought such an infectious, competitive spirit and joy to the game," Lee said. "Every time he checks in, it feels like he does something impactful."

Guard DaQuan Jeffries said Diabate is one of the team's best defenders.

Hornets forward Josh Okogie (hamstring) was sent to the G League's Greensboro Swarm for a rehab stint.

"A positive step for Josh," he said. "It will be an (ongoing) evaluation."

Hornets forward Miles Bridges also missed the Tuesday game because of what was listed as "rest," and he is considered probable for Thursday even though he is fighting an illness.

The jumbled lineup is resulting in challenges for Lee.

"We'll be creative and find guys that need to be out there to compete at a high level," the coach said.

The Knicks defeated Charlotte 99-98 and 125-101 across a seven-day span ending in early December. Jalen Brunson had 31 points for New York in the first of those meetings, but he remains sidelined with a sprained ankle that has kept him out for two weeks.

For New York, the game in Charlotte ends a stretch of seven of eight games on the road. The Knicks will start a three-game homestand on Saturday against the Washington Wizards.

--Field Level Media