Seven more assists for Julius Randle.
Eleven more 3-pointers combined from backcourt men RJ Barrett and Reggie Bullock.
Countless more crowds pay off due to the annoying retailers of Nerlens Noel and Taj Gibson. And another defensive gem in the second half of the Knicks, which held the Hornets to 31 points.
It all rolled out to a Lucky 7 when about 2,000 socially aloof Garden fans gave the club a standing ovation in the last minute.
The Knicks won their seventh consecutive Tuesday by registering a 109-97 victory over Charlotte, trailing them six points at halftime after a first half of the first half when their defense was asleep.
The Knicks awoke long enough to record their longest winning streak since rolling eight consecutive wins in a 2014 playoff push that fell short.
This playoff push is smooth. They climbed to fifth at 32-27 – half a game behind the Hawks for fourth place. Atlanta will visit the Garden on Wednesday in what constitutes a potential battle for home advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
Barrett blitzed the Hornets in the third quarter with 18 points and finished 24. After being 1 out of 8 in the first half, Barrett, as usual, didn’t lose an ounce of confidence and shot in a perfect 4-for-4 out of 3 point range.
Derrick Rose had his second solid appearance in a row, scoring 18 points in 8 out of 12 shootings.
Randle, the reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Week, started another week with 18 points, seven assists, and 10 rebounds.
After going 13 of 19 from deep in the first half, the Hornets shot 1 of 9 in the third quarter as the Knicks tightened. The Knicks started the second half on a 16-4 run in the opening 3:40.
The Knicks fired out the gate at first, taking a 12-3 and 17-8 lead, making four of their first five 3-pointers.
Then the Knicks were unable to defend the three-point line. The Knicks’ best 3-point defense was torn in the first half, as the Hornets took a 66-60 lead at the break.
Hornets point guard Terry Rozier, who is sure to be a person of interest in the trading market this summer, has nailed two consecutive threes in the last 30 seconds to give Charlotte the momentum.
The first quarter was stolen by sophomore PJ Washington, a deserved second-team all-rookie roster last season. Washington scored 17 points in the first quarter, making everyone forget the still-injured Gordon Hayward. Washington was 5 out of 5 of a 3-point range in the first period.