Knicks vs. Magic Preview: How, Who to Watch in Current Playoff Matchup
This New York Knicks season has seen them hang with some of the NBA's toughest competition. But one opponent, however, has proven particularly, if not appropriately, vexing.
New York has dropped each of their first three meetings against the Orlando Magic this season: Orlando is one of three teams to earn at least three wins against New York this season alongside Eastern Conference leaders like the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks. The Knicks have one last chance to conjure up a win against the Magic on Friday night when a homestand continues at Madison Square Garden.
If the season ended today, New York and Orlando would meet in the opening round of the Eastern Conference playoffs: Orlando has leaped over the Knicks to earn the fourth seed on the current bracket by standing as one of the hottest teams since the NBA got back from the All-Star break, winning seven of eight and five in a row to create the longest active winning streak in the NBA. The Magic recently handled business against subpar competition in back-to-back, taking down Charlotte and Washington on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively.
As for the Knicks, they're looking to get back on the right track after dropping the first game of this active four-game homestand on Tuesday: New York had to endure a 116-100 loss to the Atlanta Hawks with four of their starters on the sidelines, as Jalen Brunson was held out after leaving Sunday's win in Cleveland early with a knee injury. Brunson is currently listed as questionable on Friday's injury report.
If Orlando prevails over the Knicks on Friday, they'll secure their first four-game sweep of Manhattan since the 2001-02 season.
What: Orlando Magic (37-26) @ New York Knicks (36-26)
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
When/Watch: Friday, 7:30 p.m. ET, MSG
Who's Favored: NYK -1.5
Keep An Eye On: Josh Hart
Despite losing top interior man Mitchell Robinson, the Knicks have brilliantly brought in rebounds, outright winning the board battles in an NBA-best 46 of their 62 games. The outliers, however, have proven problematic: the Knicks are 4-12 in the 16 occasions where they tie or lose the rebounding game (they were minus-11 on Tuesday against Atlanta). Three of those occasions have come against the Magic, who have four players bringing in at least five a game. Hart has been the heart (pun intended) and soul of the Knicks in the wake of the countless injuries, justifying both his promotion into the starting five and the five-year commitment bestowed to him over the summer, averaging over 10 in the past 16. The Knicks will need him to live up to his super sub reputation if they're going to escape with a major victory.
Wendell Cruz, USA TODAY SPORTS
Central Floridian to Watch: Paolo Banchero
The revolution will not be televised: Orlando has hardly been prime bait for the Association's national television partners but Banchero is taking matters into his own hands, living up to his top pick billing and then some. Though he missed the first game of the active streak, Banchero has taken things to a whole new level, averaging 26 points on over 55 percent from the field and pairing with seven rebounds and six assists. While Orlando has had new heroes emerge (i.e. Franz Wagner), the franchise undoubtedly belongs to Banchero.
They Said It
“Extremely, extremely important. Obviously, Orlando I think, they’ve won five games in a row, 8-2 in their last 10, playing really good basketball. So we know that’s obviously a challenge, and [with] us coming in kind of riddled by injuries a little bit. So we know that coming in and we know they’re a half-game ahead of us in the standings. We know all those things. It also means we [have] to give them our best shot and we know on the other side, on the flip side, they’re going to give us their best shot and they’re right there."-Josh Hart on the importance of Friday's game (h/t Peter Botte, New York Post)
Prediction
Everything about the Magic hints at an overachieving team that's slightly ahead of schedule in a plan that's clearly making progress. One of the things Orlando has done best during their active winning streak is handle business against lesser competition. With the laundry list of injuries infecting the Knicks at this point in time, it's safe to include New York in that category. Expect the Knicks to keep things close, but asking for a win, especially if Brunson's not 100 percent, is a little too much to ask for at this point in time.
