Mar 14, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Coby White (3) dribbles past San Antonio Spurs forward Carter Bryant (11) in the first half at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images
Ahead of their meeting on Thursday night, the Charlotte Hornets and visiting New York Knicks are playing as well as any teams in the Eastern Conference. Still, both sides have ground to make up in the congested playoff picture.
Charlotte (38-34) has continued its remarkable run as the league’s biggest surprise, winning four straight and 22 of 28 since Jan. 22. Despite a dramatic season turnaround, the Hornets haven’t been able to escape play-in territory — currently in a three-way tie for the eighth-seed.
Adding to the buzz surrounding the perennial basement-dwellers, Charlotte is trying to snap the league’s longest postseason drought, last appearing in the playoffs in the 2015-16 season. This time last year, head coach Charles Lee’s team sat nearly 40 games under .500 — a distant memory for the upstart Hornets.
“I just think that every game last year was something that fueled us all,” Lee said. “When you go through a lot of adversity, a lot of losing, you try to figure out how to be a problem solver. I think our group has just done a great job of having the right mindset every day to keep getting better.”
Entering play Wednesday, Charlotte is deadlocked with the Orlando Magic and Miami Heat, while sitting a game behind the seventh-seeded Philadelphia 76ers.
Each of the Hornets’ four consecutive victories have come by double-digits, including a 134-90 romp over the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday. Charlotte tied its franchise record with 26 made 3-pointers, with six triples from midseason acquisition Coby White.
“We’ve got a bunch of guys who can knock it down,” White said. “That’s tough to guard when you’ve got four guys on the floor who can knock down a three.”
In 12 games since being shipped from Chicago, White is averaging 15.9 points per game with 40.3% 3-point shooting. Brandon Miller leads Charlotte with 20.3 ppg, while LaMelo Ball averages 19.7 and Rookie of the Year candidate Kon Knueppel adds 19.0.
New York (48-25) is sporting a seven-game winning streak and is a victory on Thursday away from matching a season-long streak. The Knicks’ two-week stretch has helped close the gap with the No. 2 seeded Boston Celtics, while staving off the No. 4 Cavaliers (New York holds a 2 1/2-game lead over Cleveland).
Just one year into the role, it hasn’t taken head coach Mike Brown long to understand what makes the Knicks go. Just about everything on the offensive end starts and ends with superstar guard Jalen Brunson.
“When it counts the most, when the pressure is the highest, (Brunson) makes the game easier for everyone else,” Brown said. “Sometimes that means go and score, sometimes that means draw two and move it to OG (Anunoby) for a wide-open three.”
Brunson’s 26.2 points and 6.6 assists per game have the Knicks on pace for their most victories since their 54-win season in the 2012-13 campaign. Fellow All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns (20.2 points, 12.0 rebounds per contest) has posted a double-double in each of his last five outings.
–Field Level Media
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![Deadspin | Fresh off offensive outburst, Brewers bid for series win vs. Tigers Apr 21, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Milwaukee Brewers second baseman David Hamilton (6) hi-fives teammates after scoring a run against the Detroit Tigers during the seventh inning at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: David Reginek-Imagn Images The Milwaukee Brewers had their second-best offensive showing of the season on Tuesday. The host Detroit Tigers will try to cool them off during the second contest of a three-game series on Wednesday night. Milwaukee pounded out 16 hits in a 12-4 thumping of the Tigers in the series opener on Tuesday. That output included a seven-run eighth inning. Leadoff hitter Brice Turang led the way by driving in four runs. The Brewers, who have won five of their past six games, reached double digits in runs for the second time. They scored 14 in their season opener against the Chicago White Sox last month. Right-hander Casey Mize (1-1, 2.78 ERA) will make his fifth start of the season for Detroit on Wednesday. Mize finished 2025 with a 14-6 record in 28 starts and has been even more impressive this season — although his win-loss record doesn’t reflect that. Mize allowed five runs in 4 1/3 innings to Minnesota under miserable weather conditions on April 6. Otherwise, he has given up just two runs combined in his three other outings, spanning 18 1/3 innings. His last effort was his best, as he limited Boston to three hits and one walk over 6 2/3 scoreless innings. He struck out seven but got no offensive support as the Tigers lost in 10 innings, 1-0. “I feel good,” Mize said. “I feel like I’ve had three good [starts] and one bad one. I feel fine, but we’ve got to translate them to wins. That’s what I care about the most.” He’ll get his share of victories if he remains this effective. “We had a good game plan,” Mize said. “I was able to execute at a pretty high clip (Friday). I felt like I was moving well and the ball was coming out well. When you execute, more times than not you are going to have nights like this.” Mize was the top pick in the 2018 draft and, after some injury issues during his career, is pitching like an ace. “Casey was incredible,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said about his most recent performance. “What I told him afterwards was that’s the best combo of stuff execution, the way his body’s moving, I mean, he was excellent.” Mize has lost his only career start against Milwaukee, in 2024, giving up five runs in 5 1/3 innings. Right-hander Chad Patrick (1-0, 0.95 ERA), Mize’s mound opponent on Wednesday, is coming off his best outing of the young season. He held Toronto to one run and three hits over 6 2/3 innings in his team’s 2-1 victory last Wednesday. He struck out only two, but that didn’t faze him. “I think everything’s coming together,” he said. “I’m not going to do anything sexy out there. It’s here you go, hit it, swing and miss, do what you do. My job is to get weak contact and swings and misses, they come and they go.” Patrick is more than capable of getting strikeouts. He had 127 in 119 2/3 innings last season as a rookie and recorded 11 in nine postseason innings. “Anytime I face a lineup, it’s pretty aggressive,” Patrick said. “I feel like I’m a strike thrower. Anytime I’m facing a team, I think that’s the message over there.” He’ll face the Tigers for the first time in his career. –Field Level Media #Deadspin #Fresh #offensive #outburst #Brewers #bid #series #win #Tigers](https://images.deadspin.com/tr:w-900/28780461.jpg "Deadspin | Fresh off offensive outburst, Brewers bid for series win vs. Tigers Apr 21, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Milwaukee Brewers second baseman David Hamilton (6) hi-fives teammates after scoring a run against the Detroit Tigers during the seventh inning at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: David Reginek-Imagn Images The Milwaukee Brewers had their second-best offensive showing of the season on Tuesday. The host Detroit Tigers will try to cool them off during the second contest of a three-game series on Wednesday night. Milwaukee pounded out 16 hits in a 12-4 thumping of the Tigers in the series opener on Tuesday. That output included a seven-run eighth inning. Leadoff hitter Brice Turang led the way by driving in four runs. The Brewers, who have won five of their past six games, reached double digits in runs for the second time. They scored 14 in their season opener against the Chicago White Sox last month. Right-hander Casey Mize (1-1, 2.78 ERA) will make his fifth start of the season for Detroit on Wednesday. Mize finished 2025 with a 14-6 record in 28 starts and has been even more impressive this season — although his win-loss record doesn’t reflect that. Mize allowed five runs in 4 1/3 innings to Minnesota under miserable weather conditions on April 6. Otherwise, he has given up just two runs combined in his three other outings, spanning 18 1/3 innings. His last effort was his best, as he limited Boston to three hits and one walk over 6 2/3 scoreless innings. He struck out seven but got no offensive support as the Tigers lost in 10 innings, 1-0. “I feel good,” Mize said. “I feel like I’ve had three good [starts] and one bad one. I feel fine, but we’ve got to translate them to wins. That’s what I care about the most.” He’ll get his share of victories if he remains this effective. “We had a good game plan,” Mize said. “I was able to execute at a pretty high clip (Friday). I felt like I was moving well and the ball was coming out well. When you execute, more times than not you are going to have nights like this.” Mize was the top pick in the 2018 draft and, after some injury issues during his career, is pitching like an ace. “Casey was incredible,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said about his most recent performance. “What I told him afterwards was that’s the best combo of stuff execution, the way his body’s moving, I mean, he was excellent.” Mize has lost his only career start against Milwaukee, in 2024, giving up five runs in 5 1/3 innings. Right-hander Chad Patrick (1-0, 0.95 ERA), Mize’s mound opponent on Wednesday, is coming off his best outing of the young season. He held Toronto to one run and three hits over 6 2/3 innings in his team’s 2-1 victory last Wednesday. He struck out only two, but that didn’t faze him. “I think everything’s coming together,” he said. “I’m not going to do anything sexy out there. It’s here you go, hit it, swing and miss, do what you do. My job is to get weak contact and swings and misses, they come and they go.” Patrick is more than capable of getting strikeouts. He had 127 in 119 2/3 innings last season as a rookie and recorded 11 in nine postseason innings. “Anytime I face a lineup, it’s pretty aggressive,” Patrick said. “I feel like I’m a strike thrower. Anytime I’m facing a team, I think that’s the message over there.” He’ll face the Tigers for the first time in his career. –Field Level Media #Deadspin #Fresh #offensive #outburst #Brewers #bid #series #win #Tigers")
![Deadspin | Fresh off offensive outburst, Brewers bid for series win vs. Tigers Apr 21, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Milwaukee Brewers second baseman David Hamilton (6) hi-fives teammates after scoring a run against the Detroit Tigers during the seventh inning at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: David Reginek-Imagn Images The Milwaukee Brewers had their second-best offensive showing of the season on Tuesday. The host Detroit Tigers will try to cool them off during the second contest of a three-game series on Wednesday night. Milwaukee pounded out 16 hits in a 12-4 thumping of the Tigers in the series opener on Tuesday. That output included a seven-run eighth inning. Leadoff hitter Brice Turang led the way by driving in four runs. The Brewers, who have won five of their past six games, reached double digits in runs for the second time. They scored 14 in their season opener against the Chicago White Sox last month. Right-hander Casey Mize (1-1, 2.78 ERA) will make his fifth start of the season for Detroit on Wednesday. Mize finished 2025 with a 14-6 record in 28 starts and has been even more impressive this season — although his win-loss record doesn’t reflect that. Mize allowed five runs in 4 1/3 innings to Minnesota under miserable weather conditions on April 6. Otherwise, he has given up just two runs combined in his three other outings, spanning 18 1/3 innings. His last effort was his best, as he limited Boston to three hits and one walk over 6 2/3 scoreless innings. He struck out seven but got no offensive support as the Tigers lost in 10 innings, 1-0. “I feel good,” Mize said. “I feel like I’ve had three good [starts] and one bad one. I feel fine, but we’ve got to translate them to wins. That’s what I care about the most.” He’ll get his share of victories if he remains this effective. “We had a good game plan,” Mize said. “I was able to execute at a pretty high clip (Friday). I felt like I was moving well and the ball was coming out well. When you execute, more times than not you are going to have nights like this.” Mize was the top pick in the 2018 draft and, after some injury issues during his career, is pitching like an ace. “Casey was incredible,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said about his most recent performance. “What I told him afterwards was that’s the best combo of stuff execution, the way his body’s moving, I mean, he was excellent.” Mize has lost his only career start against Milwaukee, in 2024, giving up five runs in 5 1/3 innings. Right-hander Chad Patrick (1-0, 0.95 ERA), Mize’s mound opponent on Wednesday, is coming off his best outing of the young season. He held Toronto to one run and three hits over 6 2/3 innings in his team’s 2-1 victory last Wednesday. He struck out only two, but that didn’t faze him. “I think everything’s coming together,” he said. “I’m not going to do anything sexy out there. It’s here you go, hit it, swing and miss, do what you do. My job is to get weak contact and swings and misses, they come and they go.” Patrick is more than capable of getting strikeouts. He had 127 in 119 2/3 innings last season as a rookie and recorded 11 in nine postseason innings. “Anytime I face a lineup, it’s pretty aggressive,” Patrick said. “I feel like I’m a strike thrower. Anytime I’m facing a team, I think that’s the message over there.” He’ll face the Tigers for the first time in his career. –Field Level Media #Deadspin #Fresh #offensive #outburst #Brewers #bid #series #win #Tigers](https://i3.wp.com/images.deadspin.com/tr:w-900/28780461.jpg?ssl=1 "Deadspin | Fresh off offensive outburst, Brewers bid for series win vs. Tigers Apr 21, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Milwaukee Brewers second baseman David Hamilton (6) hi-fives teammates after scoring a run against the Detroit Tigers during the seventh inning at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: David Reginek-Imagn Images The Milwaukee Brewers had their second-best offensive showing of the season on Tuesday. The host Detroit Tigers will try to cool them off during the second contest of a three-game series on Wednesday night. Milwaukee pounded out 16 hits in a 12-4 thumping of the Tigers in the series opener on Tuesday. That output included a seven-run eighth inning. Leadoff hitter Brice Turang led the way by driving in four runs. The Brewers, who have won five of their past six games, reached double digits in runs for the second time. They scored 14 in their season opener against the Chicago White Sox last month. Right-hander Casey Mize (1-1, 2.78 ERA) will make his fifth start of the season for Detroit on Wednesday. Mize finished 2025 with a 14-6 record in 28 starts and has been even more impressive this season — although his win-loss record doesn’t reflect that. Mize allowed five runs in 4 1/3 innings to Minnesota under miserable weather conditions on April 6. Otherwise, he has given up just two runs combined in his three other outings, spanning 18 1/3 innings. His last effort was his best, as he limited Boston to three hits and one walk over 6 2/3 scoreless innings. He struck out seven but got no offensive support as the Tigers lost in 10 innings, 1-0. “I feel good,” Mize said. “I feel like I’ve had three good [starts] and one bad one. I feel fine, but we’ve got to translate them to wins. That’s what I care about the most.” He’ll get his share of victories if he remains this effective. “We had a good game plan,” Mize said. “I was able to execute at a pretty high clip (Friday). I felt like I was moving well and the ball was coming out well. When you execute, more times than not you are going to have nights like this.” Mize was the top pick in the 2018 draft and, after some injury issues during his career, is pitching like an ace. “Casey was incredible,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said about his most recent performance. “What I told him afterwards was that’s the best combo of stuff execution, the way his body’s moving, I mean, he was excellent.” Mize has lost his only career start against Milwaukee, in 2024, giving up five runs in 5 1/3 innings. Right-hander Chad Patrick (1-0, 0.95 ERA), Mize’s mound opponent on Wednesday, is coming off his best outing of the young season. He held Toronto to one run and three hits over 6 2/3 innings in his team’s 2-1 victory last Wednesday. He struck out only two, but that didn’t faze him. “I think everything’s coming together,” he said. “I’m not going to do anything sexy out there. It’s here you go, hit it, swing and miss, do what you do. My job is to get weak contact and swings and misses, they come and they go.” Patrick is more than capable of getting strikeouts. He had 127 in 119 2/3 innings last season as a rookie and recorded 11 in nine postseason innings. “Anytime I face a lineup, it’s pretty aggressive,” Patrick said. “I feel like I’m a strike thrower. Anytime I’m facing a team, I think that’s the message over there.” He’ll face the Tigers for the first time in his career. –Field Level Media #Deadspin #Fresh #offensive #outburst #Brewers #bid #series #win #Tigers")
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