CHARLOTTE, N.C. _ Every team has its bad shooting nights _ the trick is figuring out how to overcome them.
That is exactly the predicament the Charlotte Hornets (24-25) faced Monday night against the New York Knicks (10-39), in what was easily one of the team's worst offensive nights all year. Against a hapless Knicks team tied for the fewest wins in the Eastern Conference, Charlotte shot a meager 41.1 percent from the floor and 32.4 percent from 3.
And yet, largely thanks to a sublime fourth quarter effort from second-year guard Malik Monk, the Hornets were able to muster a 101-92 victory at Spectrum Center. Monk scored 12 of his 14 points in the fourth quarter, including two 3-pointers during an 8-0 Hornets run that put Charlotte ahead for good.
Up to that point, the game had largely been a back-and-forth swap of ugly offense and ill-timed fouls. Outside of guard Tim Hardaway Jr. and wing Kevin Knox, the No. 9 overall pick in this year's NBA draft, the Knicks were practically unable to put the ball in the basket. Still, New York kept things close and entered the fourth quarter tied at 71 because of the Hornets' similar struggles, plus getting to the free throw line 26 times.
But once Monk started knocking down 3s in the final frame, the Hornets' lead grew and grew. On bad shooting nights, sometimes it is those natural shooters who can make the difference.
