Saved by the bell: Knicks barely hang on over Hornets in wackiest way possible

On Friday, the New York Knicks overcame an incredibly sluggish start to defeat the Charlotte Hornets, claiming first place in the East Group A standings. But as nutty as the Emirates NBA Cup court the two teams played on was, how the contest ended was infinitely more bonkers.

Trailing by four with 3.2 seconds remaining, Hornets wing Josh Green hit a clutch three to cut the deficit to one. The only problem was his shot spun around the rim for so long that it took up the entirety of the game clock:

As ClutchPoints' Brett Siegel alludes to, it's hard to recall another instance of this happening. The ball swirled through the basket five times before eventually falling in. Nonetheless, the buzzer had already sounded when it did, effectively doing the Knicks a favor.

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Saved by the bell: Knicks barely hang on over Hornets in the wackiest way possible

Green could've grabbed a snack, checked his email, brushed his teeth and returned to the court before seeing the rock go through the hoop. Jokes aside, it was an undeniably silly conclusion to the closely contested Knicks-Hornets Black Friday matinee.

Hornets first-year head coach Charles Lee drew up a well-designed after-timeout play, which Green and his teammates on the floor executed well. Alas, it somehow took way longer than it should have, allowing the Knicks to escape by the skin of their teeth.

Brandon Miller was the only Hornet to score more than Green in the 99-98 loss to the Knicks. The latter produced a solid stat line, posting 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting (3-of-7 from three), adding three assists, two steals and a rebound.

Moreover, Green spent much of the clash with the Knicks guarding All-NBA floor general Jalen Brunson. The 24-year-old did everything he could to try propelling a depleted Charlotte squad sans LaMelo Ball, Miles Bridges, Mark/Grant Williams, Nick Richards and Tre Mann. Ultimately, New York got saved by the bell.

Sometimes, it's better to be lucky than good. The Knicks made life for themselves much harder in this one, especially considering they entered as 12.5-point favorites (per ESPN Bet). Regardless, they'll take the win.