If the regular season ended today, the Orlando Magic and New York Knicks would play each other in the first round of the playoffs. With so many teams jostling for position in the Eastern Conference playoff race, it’s impossible to know where they, along with the other postseason hopefuls, will finish in the standings.
But should the Magic and Knicks meet in a playoff series, each one of those games would probably be as physical as their clash from Friday night at Madison Square Garden. Not only was the atmosphere in the building playoff-like, but so was the action.
On this night, it was the Knicks who came out with more energy and intensity in their 98-74 victory. Although New York now sits a half-game ahead of Orlando for fourth place in the East, the Magic do hold the tiebreaker between them having won the season series 3-1.
“This is exactly what the playoffs will be like,” Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley said. “That’s exactly what we would want and that’s exactly what we will embrace. There’s no excuses about it. You have to give New York a ton of credit for the way in which they played.”
Jalen Brunson, who was questionable coming into the game with a left knee contusion, led New York with a game-high 26 points, while Josh Hart scored 19 and Precious Achiuwa had 15 points and 14 rebounds.
Paolo Banchero led Orlando with 23 points, however the Magic, as a team, shot just 34.2 percent from the field and 23.1 percent from 3-point range. Prior to Friday’s game, the Magic had been shooting nearly 51 percent over their prior 18 contests, which was the third-best mark in that time.
The only other Magic players who scored in double figures were Franz Wagner (13 points) and Jonathan Isaac (11 points). Orlando’s 74 points and 12 assists were both season lows.
“I think they just did a good job speeding us up, pressuring, being physical, blowing up some of our actions – ball screens and motion,” Banchero said. “You could feel the intensity from the tip from them.”
Jalen Suggs didn’t play due to a right thigh contusion. Still out for the Knicks were Julius Randle (shoulder), OG Anunoby (elbow) and Mitchell Robinson (ankle).
The loss snapped the Magic’s five-game winning streak, which was the league’s longest going into Friday’s action. They are now 14-5 in their last 19 games, tied with the Golden State Warriors for the best record in this time.
The Magic, who went 2-1 on the road trip, now head back home for a pair of games at Kia Center, starting with a Sunday showdown against the Indiana Pacers at 6 p.m. The 35-29 Pacers are currently in eighth place in the East.