Mike Brown gives flowers to the incredible defensive player of the game against the Hornets

The New York Knicks they won their fourth straight at home on Wednesday night, defeating the Charlotte Hornets 119-104 at Madison Square Garden. While Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson led the scorersone of the biggest surprises of the night was sophomore center Ariel Huckporty named defensive player of the game at the head coach Mike Brown.

Huckporty’s stat line was unconventional: 0 points, 2 offensive rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 turnovers, 6 fouls and a +6 plus-minus in 13 minutes.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever done this before, but our defensive player of the game was Ariel Hookporty,” Brown said after the game. “He had 0 defensive rebounds and a foul. But his impact was huge. A couple blocks, 50-50 balls, went vertical a couple times and changed shots in the paint, so I’m happy for him, and this is a guy who hasn’t played much in a while. He logged a lot of minutes for us in his case, but he was a little over 12 minutes of our player, but he was over 12 minutes Defense.”

Mike Brown: “I don’t know if I’ve ever done this before, but our defensive player of the game was Ariel Hookporty. He had 0 defensive rebounds and a foul. But his impact was huge. A couple of blocks, 50-50 balls, went vertical a couple of times and changed shots…I didn’t play much” pic.twitter.com/KVvVvUtz1a

— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) December 4, 2025

Although Hookporty earned praise for his defensive efforts, It was the cities that bore the offensive burdenwho took over both the paint and the perimeter with 35 points on 13-of-23 shooting, 18 rebounds, five assists, two steals and just one turnover in 39 minutes. It was his 16th double-double of the season and seventh in a 30-10-5 performance with New York.

Meanwhile, Brunson added 26 points on 9-of-16 shooting, providing a steady presence when Charlotte threatened to close the gap. Josh Hart flirted with a triple-double, contributing 17 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, while Myles McBride had 15 points and a +18 plus-minus, continuing his recent hot shooting from deep. Mikal Bridges also contributed 16 points with impressive defensive plays.

The Knicks came out strong and quickly took control of the game. In the first quarter, New York limited the Hornets to just 12 points on 5-of-20 shooting, forcing six turnovers, while the Knicks made just one of nine three-point attempts. Towns scored 10 points and grabbed seven rebounds in the first period, more than half of his output in the previous game in Charlotte. By the end of the first quarter, New York led 27-12, holding the Hornets to three fouls while not committing any of their own.

The second quarter, however, exposed the cracks in the Knicks’ early game performance. With a 14-3 run, Charlotte cut New York’s lead from 20 points to just three, 50-47, leading to a timeout. The Hornets’ LaMelo Ball, who finished with 34 points, nine assists and eight rebounds, kept his team at arm’s length. Amid defensive lapses, Brunson’s layup at the buzzer put the Knicks up 53-47 at halftime.

New York regained control in the second half. By midway through the third quarter, the Knicks led 90-75, thanks to contributions from Towns, Brunson, Bridges and Hookporty, who blocked two shots. In the fourth quarter, the Knicks extended their lead to 22 in the game, securing the win despite a late burst by Ball and Tidjane Salaun.

New York will continue their three-game homestand Friday night against the Utah Jazz.