The Charlotte Hornets closed the 2025-26 regular season the way they spent most of the second half — in control. A 110-96 victory over the New York Knicks on Sunday afternoon clinched home-court advantage in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament and set up a Tuesday night elimination game against the Miami Heat at Spectrum Center.
The Knicks rested their primary rotation. Charlotte treated the afternoon as a tuneup.
LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller each scored 19 points. Ball added six assists. Moussa Diabaté pulled down nine rebounds — four on the offensive glass — providing the kind of second-chance opportunities that matter in single-elimination basketball. Charlotte led 30-20 after one quarter and 57-44 at halftime. The Knicks never got closer than 10 in the second half.
Miles McBride led New York with 21 points on 8-of-15 shooting. Jose Alvarado had seven assists. For a team resting its core, the Knicks competed — they matched Charlotte's output in the fourth quarter, 23-23 — but the damage had been done in the first 24 minutes.
Charlotte finishes 44-38. A year ago, the Hornets were 19-63. A 25-win improvement.
The play-in format is straightforward: as the 9-seed, Charlotte hosts the 10-seed Miami Heat on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. The loser's season is over. The winner advances to face the loser of the 7-8 matchup for the final playoff spot.
Charlotte has won 24 of its last 32 games since late January. The Hornets are 21-20 at home this season — a number that flattens a more complicated picture. Since the All-Star break, Spectrum Center has been a harder place to play.
Tuesday is the kind of game this season was building toward. One win extends it. One loss ends it.