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Part of being a successful NBA team is the notion that matchups against lower-echelon opponents can be construed as trap games, especially coming off the emotional nature of a win like Sunday’s double-overtime thriller for the Knicks in Boston.
Tom Thibodeau’s rolling squad fell flat Tuesday night, blowing a 16-point halftime lead to the Hornets and shooting 5-for-26 in the fourth quarter to halt their nine-game winning streak with a lethargic 112-105 loss at the Garden.
RJ Barrett scored 27 points, but Julius Randle shot 5-for-17 and finished with 16 for the Knicks, who will embark on a four-game West Coast swing beginning Thursday night in Sacramento.
After missing the Knicks’ double-overtime win Sunday in Boston, starting point guard Jalen Brunson sat out his second consecutive game with a sore left foot. Point guard LaMelo Ball (ankle) also was out for the Hornets, who own the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference (21-46).
“I think every game is a trap game. You’re right, it’s human nature, too. You let your guard down a little bit, you’re going to slip,” Thibodeau said before the game. “This league is too good. You look at Charlotte the last 10 games, they’re 5-5.
“So if you’re not ready to play … what happened last game has nothing to do with this game.
