Following their double-overtime win against the Miami Heat on Tuesday night, the Orlando Magic looked for their third straight win on the road in New York against the Knicks. The Magic were lifeless for much of the night, falling to the Knicks 106-95.
Early on the Magic struggled, with the offense failing to find any rhythm whatsoever. Their inability to move the ball at a high rate resulted in stagnated offense and forced shots throughout the better portion of the quarter. Defensively Bismack Biyombo made a difference, blocking three Derrick Rose shot attempts, but otherwise struggled to keep the Knicks in front of them, or off of the offensive glass. After one quarter the Knicks looked like the much fresher team, leading the Magic by eight, 19-27.
The second quarter was no better for the Magic reserves, who continued the teams lifeless play. The Knicks continued attacking the Magic off the dribble, while crashing the offensive glass at a continued high rate. Offensively Orlando’s jumpers continued to come up short, with the team failing to make a three-pointer until under a minute to go in the half. Despite shooting a higher percentage from the field, the Magic trailed the Knicks by 10, 57-47, thanks to New York’s 11 offensive rebounds and 12 point advantage from beyond the arc.
Out of halftime, the Magic came with a quick burst of energy, cutting the Knicks lead down to five in the opening minutes of the quarter. The hosts answered, however, going on a 14-2 run to push their lead up to a game-high 17. As their offense began settling in some, the Magic slowly cut into the Knicks lead, cutting it back down to as few as seven late in the quarter. Despite continuing to outshoot the Knicks, the Magic still trailed by nine, 81-72 heading into the fourth.
Needing to find some more energy heading into the fourth, the Magic fell flat. While they were able to find some high quality shots and put some pressure on the Knicks, their inability to string together consecutive stops on defense plagued them. As a result, the Knicks held the Magic at bay, holding their lead in the double digits for the majority of the quarter, cruising to the victory.
Rose led a balanced Knicks attack, finishing with 19 on the night. Carmelo Anthony and Wily Hernangomez each added 15 for the victors. Kyle O’Quinn posted his third double-double of the season, finishing with 14 points and 16 rebounds. Kristaps Porzingis scored 12 before leaving with a knee injury. Former Magic guard Courtney Lee added 10 on the night.
Serge Ibaka led all scorers finishing with 23. Evan Fournier added 21 on the night. Elfrid Payton, Nikola Vucevic and Jeff Green all scored 10 off the Magic bench.
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