The Knicks hadn’t dropped three straight video games all season, however this loss to the injury-decimated Magic actually punctuated their ugliest taking pictures stretch and play of the 12 months.
Allow us to repeat for impact: this was downright ugly.
With Karl-Anthony Cities sitting out for the third time this season with a proper knee subject, the Knicks couldn’t overcome a wretched evening from the surface to increase their three-game skid in a 103-94 loss to Orlando on the Backyard.
The Knicks transformed solely 4 of their 22 makes an attempt from 3-point vary — beating the NBA low whole for the season by one — and they’re taking pictures simply 28.8 % from deep over their previous six video games total.
Mikal Bridges scored 24 factors however missed 5 of six from lengthy vary because the Knicks (24-13) kicked off a stretch of 12 of 14 video games at dwelling with a clunker. They started the day tied with the Pacers for probably the most street video games within the league (13-8).
Jalen Brunson additionally scored 24 factors earlier than fouling out and Josh Hart added 15 with 14 rebounds for the Knicks, whereas Cole Anthony led the Magic with 24.
“Obviously we had a heavy road schedule, now it flips. I think we [have] six in a row [at home],” Tom Thibodeau mentioned earlier than the sport. “However you’ll be able to’t have a look at it in totality; simply lock in to the sport that’s in entrance of you. I feel that’s vital.
“Make sure you’re doing the things that are necessary to win.”
Thibodeau’s group definitely had executed these issues of their three earlier wins since Dec. 3 towards the Magic (22-16). No. 4 Orlando is one spot behind the Knicks within the Japanese Convention standings regardless of the continued harm absences of Paolo Banchero, brothers Franz and Moe Wagner and most just lately, Jalen Suggs.
With Cities sidelined after limping off the courtroom late in Saturday’s loss in Chicago, Jericho Sims obtained his third begin of the season and completed with 4 factors and 10 rebounds in 29 minutes.
Bridges scored 9 factors and Brunson netted eight within the last 1:05 — after lacking his first 5 photographs — because the Knicks held a 28-24 lead by way of one quarter.
The Magic grabbed a three-point lead halfway by way of the second and the Knicks trailed 53-51 at intermission after lacking 12 of 15 from 3-point land within the half.
Anthony’s 3-pointer opened the cushion to eight simply previous the midpoint of the third, shortly after Brunson sat down after getting poked within the eye by Goga Bitadze.
Brunson returned with 4:25 to go and sank a few short-range buckets to tug the Knicks inside two earlier than an 8-0 Magic spurt on consecutive treys by Jonathan Isaac and Wendell Carter Jr. and two free throws by Anthony Black made it a 75-65 sport.
A jumper by Treasured Achiuwa and a Bridges free throw closed the hole again to seven getting into the ultimate interval.
The Knicks went down by 10 on Carter’s pull-up jumper with 6:55 to go, however an Achiuwa dunk and a Brunson baseline fadeaway supplied hope for a turnaround.
However Kentavious Caldwell-Pope drained a 3-pointer, and Carter nailed one other following an Achiuwa turnover for the Magic’s largest lead of the sport, 95-84, with 3:04 left.
