Seven more assistants for Julius Randle.
Another eleven 3-points combined from backs RJ Barrett and Reggie Bullock.
Countless more noise paid off by the nasty middle tandem of Nerlens Noel and Taj Gibson. And another second-half defense by the Knicks, which keeps the Hornets on 31 points.
It all rolled into a Lucky 7 as about 2,000 social garden lovers cheered the club standing at the last minute.
The Knicks won their seventh straight game on Tuesday by picking up a 109-97 victory over Charlotte, trailing by six points at halftime to a first-half finish in the first half when their defense slept.
The Knicks woke up long enough to record their longest winning streak since conceding eight consecutive wins during a playoff shot in 2014 that fell short.
This play-off push goes smoothly. They moved into fifth place at 32-27 – a semifinal behind the Falcons for fourth place. Atlanta will visit the Garden on Wednesday in a possible battle for the home field advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
Barrett beat the Hornets 18 points in the third quarter and finished with 24. After being 1 of 8 in the first half, Barrett, as is his habit, did not lose a shred of confidence and a perfect 4-for – 4 from 3-point series.
Derrick Rose scored his second consecutive solid outing, scoring 18 points on 8 of 12 shots.
Randle, the dominant player of the Eastern Conference of the Week, started a new week with 18 points, seven assistants and 10 rebounds.
After going 13 to 19 from deep into the first half, the Hornets shot 1 of 9 in the third quarter as the Knicks sharpened. The Knicks started the second half on a 16-4 run in the opening 3:40.
The Knicks shot out of the gate like a thoroughbred at the start, leading 12-3 and 17-8, scoring four of their first five three-pointers.
Then the Knicks could not defend the 3-point line. The Knicks’ league-best 3-point defense shattered in the first half as the Hornets led 66-60 at intervals.
Hornets point guard Terry Rozier, who will definitely be a person in the trade market this summer, nailed two consecutive tries in the final 30 seconds to give Charlotte the momentum.
The first quarter was stolen by PJ Washington, sophomore, who was a deserving two-team everyday pick last season. Washington scored 17 points in the first quarter, making everyone forget about the still-injured Gordon Hayward. Washington was 5 of 5 from the 3-point series in the first period.