How it Happened
On the second night of the season's final back-to-back, the Knicks refused to lose.
Cole Aldrich set the tone -- scoring 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting in the 1st quarter -- and Tim Hardaway Jr. found his shot at just the right time in an exciting 80-79 victory in Orlando on Saturday night.
New York started out hot, taking a 30-24 lead into the 2nd quarter behind Aldrich's paint dominance. Then they clamped down; for the first 7:40 of the 2nd quarter, the Magic did not score. The Knicks allowed just seven points in the entire period, tying a franchise record.
But the Magic fought back, reeling off a 9-0 run early in the 4th quarter cut the Knicks lead to five. Willie Green connected on three 3s as the teams exchanged leads down the stretch.
With the game tied at 77 and 12 seconds remaining, it was Hardaway -- who had shot 2-for-14 before scoring the Knicks' final seven points -- who delivered the game-winner from three feet beyond the arc on the left wing.
Knick of the Night
Aldrich set a career high with 19 points to go with his 14 rebounds in 26 minutes. He was dominant against Orlando big man Nikola Vucevic.
Game Notes
The two teams combined to score 15 points in the 2nd quarter, which made it the lowest-scoring quarter in NBA history...Langston Galloway scored all nine of his points in the 3rd quarter. Jason Smith pitched in with 13 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 blocks in 31 minutes.
Next Up
The Knicks fly to Atlanta for their final road game of the season, a battle with the Eastern Conference-leading Hawks on Monday night.