CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It was like the 2018 NCAAs all over again.
The Villanova championship backcourt of Jalen Brunson and Donte DiVincenzo started together Saturday night and took turns dominating the Hornets, combining for 57 points to extend the Knicks’ winning streak to three games, 122-108.
The Knicks (8-5) have six wins in its past seven games, emphatically handling an easy portion of the schedule.
After punishing the Wizards on Friday, the Knicks led wire-to-wire for a consecutive night.
And just like in Washington, the visiting crowd — decked out in blue and orange jerseys — ended the evening with a loud “Let’s Go Knicks” chant.
The first half was all about Brunson, the shifty point guard who finished with 32 points and started the game with an en fuego boost.
Brunson shot 10 of 14 before the break in just 18 minutes.
His final shot of the second quarter — an off-balance and contested driving layup — might’ve been the most impressive.
The second half belonged to DiVincenzo, who started in place of the injured Quentin Grimes and set a career high with 25 points (14 in the second half). DiVincenzo, the Most Outstanding Player at the 2018 Final Four, was feeling it.
He nailed 7 of his 10 3-point attempts and shot 9-for-12 overall.
The Knicks trounced the Hornets (3-8) less than a week ago at the Garden, and have the luxury of playing them again on Nov. 28. Tom Thibodeau’s squad has shown it can handle the bad teams.
The schedule heats up a bit with three games upcoming against the Timberwolves, Heat and Suns.
RJ Barrett returned after a three-game absence due to his migraine/illness issue, starting at small forward and logging an encouraging 26 minutes.
With Brunson carrying the offensive load, Barrett wasn’t as aggressive in the first half in a reduced role. But he picked it up in the fourth quarter and finished with 15 points, including a big corner 3-pointer with 8:32 remaining to halt a Hornets push and give the Knicks a 99-88 lead.
The Hornets are young, undisciplined and probably lottery-bound again.
They have brought back Miles Bridges, who hadn’t played in nearly 600 days before Friday night.
Bridges served a suspension to start this season after pleading no contest to felony domestic violence, which followed the mother of his children, Mychelle Johnson, posting an Instagram photo of alleged bruising and other injuries on her body.
Bridges, who was on a max-contract trajectory before the arrest, played 31 minutes and scored 19 points. It was his second game back after the suspension, and, despite the ugly accusations, there wasn’t much public hesitation from the Hornets.
The forgiving Charlotte fans gave Bridges a standing ovation when he returned Friday night against the Bucks.
“I don’t think there’s a phase of the game where he doesn’t help the team,” Hornets coach Steve Clifford said.
Not enough to help beat the ’Nova backcourt, though. Once roommates in college, DiVincenzo and Brunson were the stars Saturday night.
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