31 Brunson Points Not Enough
Photo: Michael Henriquez – NY Beacon
Madison Square Garden
By Andrew Rosario
The New York Knicks are starting to feel like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz as they continue to show “there’s no place like home.” After dismantling the Minnesota Timberwolves Tuesday night at Madison Sqaure Garden for their 6th straight home win (extending their record to 7-3) New York looked to keep the momentum going on their home floor as they hosted the Orlando Magic who game into the game with a record of 5-6. It was only the second time the Knicks played back to back in this early season. They played November 2nd and 3rd taking out the Bulls and the Wizards on their home court. It certainly looked like the Knicks were a tired group. Orlando had not played in three days and were well rested. It showed in the first half.
The Knicks never led in the 1st quarter as the Magic took a 30-23 lead. The ball movement that had been a staple in the Knicks winning streak, was non-existent as they only tallied one. Desmond Bane led Orlando with 7 points. Mr. consistent, Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 11. The other starters, OG Anunoby, Mikel Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns only combined for 6 points. The second quarter would only get worse for New York.
The closest the Knicks would get is when they cut the lead to 4 (30-26) and then saw Orlando blitz them outscoring the Knicks 32-16 to talk a 20-point halftime lead 62-42. Magic’s Franz Wagner finished the half with 17. Knicks Brunson 16. The poor shooting continued for the Knicks as shot 33% (13 of 39 from the floor) while missing 15 of 19 3-point attempts (21%).
The second half wasn’t much better for New York in the 124-107 loss as they allowed the Magic 4 starters and 2 players off the bench to score in double figures with Wagner finishing with 28. Brunson led all scorers with 31.
Knicks head coach Mike Brown was quick to praise the Magic. “Orlando’s a big team,” he began. “They’re athletic, they’re long. They’re well coached. They’re going to be physical. They’re a lot better than what their record says. I think their starting 5 might be in the top 5 in net rating in the NBA, so they can hurt you in a lot of different ways.”
After a day off Thursday, the Knicks host the Miami Heat Friday night in the NBA Cup group stage.
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