NEW YORK _ The late-game magic and the corresponding euphoria officially have returned, at long last, to Madison Square Garden.
The suddenly surging Knicks overcame a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter for the second straight game and knocked off Charlotte as their latest comeback victim with a spirited 118-113 victory at MSG, their sixth in seven games following an 0-3 start to the season.
Kristaps Porzingis pumped in 19 points in the first half and netted seven big ones for the Knicks in the closing minutes of the fourth to finish with 28, falling shy of the 30-point mark for only the third time during the Knicks' 6-4 start.
Porzingis, named Monday as the Eastern Conference player of the week, still set the franchise record for the most points through 10 games of a season with an even 300, breaking the previous mark of 298 by Bernard King, who was in attendance, in 1984-85.
Doug McDermott posted a season-best 20 points, including a key four-point play in the fourth quarter, with Tim Hardaway Jr. adding 19 for the Knicks.
Malik Monk, the former Kentucky freshman star passed over by the Knicks with the eighth overall draft pick in favor of French-bred point guard Frank Ntilikina last summer, scored 21 off the bench for Charlotte. Dwight Howard and Kemba Walker also chipped in 21 points apiece for the Hornets.
The Knicks trailed by as many as 15 in the first half and still were behind by 11 to open the fourth quarter, but reserves McDermott and Kyle O'Quinn (12 points) combined for 15 in the first five minutes of the final period to close the gap to four.
With Ntilikina and Lance Thomas both in the game down the stretch again for defensive purposes, 3-pointers by Thomas (10 points), Hardaway and another by McDermott drew the Knicks within two with three minutes remaining.
With the home fans again chanting "MVP" for him, Porzingis drained two free throws for the tie with 2:32 to go before his straightaway 3 at the 1:48 mark provided the Knicks with their first lead since early in the first quarter.
The Latvian big man then sank a driving scoop with the shot clock expiring for a three-point lead with 11 seconds remaining, prompting another eruption from the Garden faithful, and Courtney Lee iced it with two late free throws.
While Monk enjoyed a big scoring night for the Hornets, that doesn't take away from how pleased coach Jeff Hornacek and the Knicks have been with the progress being made by Ntilikina, who had his finest game at both ends during Sunday's comeback win over Indiana.
"I think we've seen it in practice, he's never afraid of anything. And you saw in the game, he got us into plays, trying to put a little pressure trying to get back in the game," Hornacek said before Tuesday's game. "He has the confidence that he can go out there right away and play.
"I think he's even going to be better the second time we go around the league ... . But the more he proves he can be out there, then the sooner he gets there."
Defensively, the Knicks didn't get to the ball nearly enough in the first quarter, allowing the Hornets to total 41 points, including seven 3-pointers, for a nine-point advantage after one. The session did include one defensive highlight for the Knicks, when O'Quinn and Porzingis combined to block three consecutive shots inside by Cody Zeller, with Porzingis swatting away a fourth and pumping his fist, albeit after a foul was called on Ntilikina down low.
Led by Monk's 17-point outburst in the second, featuring 4 of 8 for the rookie from downtown, Charlotte extended its lead to as many 15 before the Knicks drew back to within 69-58 at intermission.
Seven quick points by Hardaway early in the third drew the Knicks as close as four, but Porzingis netted only one bucket in the period and the Hornets pushed their lead back to 11 (94-83) entering the final quarter.
