The Athletic NBA Daily Thunder take down Knicks in a thriller + Hornets on the rise
Mar 5, 2026
Fred Katz, NBA reporter at The Athletic who breaks down game-level performance. He dissects the Knicks’ recent defensive resurgence and whether that toughness will translate to the playoffs. He highlights Mohamed Dior’s three-point growth and spacing fit alongside bigs. He explains matchup lessons from Oklahoma City and what New York must tighten in late-game execution.
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Hornets Combine Shooting With Physical Defense
- The Charlotte Hornets pair elite shooting with surprising physical defense to create a high-variance, hard-to-solve roster.
- Zena Keita and Dave DuFour cite six straight wins by 15+ and interior physicality from Moussa Diabaté and Ryan Kalkbrenner as proof.
Playoffs Turn Regular Season Success Into A Harder Test
- Playoff series expose young teams because opponents have time to study and repeatedly exploit tendencies across multiple games.
- Zena Keita compares the regular season to quizzes and playoffs to a longer test where adjustments magnify weaknesses.
Knicks Show Resilience Against Thunder
- Fred Katz recounts the Knicks' resilient effort versus the Thunder, rallying from a 15-point third-quarter deficit and playing strong defense.
- He notes the Knicks doubled Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and used rotations that forced Oklahoma City into adjustments despite the loss.