Defense Against the Dark Arts: Knicks' Best Advantage Finally Masters Magic
Defense has taken on a muted prescience in the modern NBA but the New York Knicks used it to make a sizable statement on Friday night.
Facing a potential first-round playoff opponent that had had their number all season, the Knicks put forth what statistically stands as the best defensive effort in the NBA season, crushing the Orlando Magic by a 98-74 final at Madison Square Garden. The 74 points allowed by the Knicks were the fewest any team in the NBA has let up in a single game this season and the first time the team had allowed fewer than 75 since April 2012.
“When we fly around and work together like that and we have the type of activity that we did, that gives us a chance to win," head coach Tom Thibodeau said, per Mike Lupica of the New York Daily News.
Wendell Cruz, USA TODAY SPORTS
Ironically, it was the lack of activity that guided the Knicks to a crucial victory: Orlando headliner Paolo Banchero did what he could to limit the damage (23 points, 9 rebounds, 4 blocks) but beyond his efforts, the Magic shot just under 31 percent from the field (including 6-of-26 from beyond the arc), lost 13 turnovers, and failed to break past the 20-point plateau in any of the final three periods. Precious Achuiwa pulled in 14 rebounds while setting a new career-best with five blocks.
The Knicks' offense was able to coast by relatively unabated: New York led wire-to-wire and four different players hit at least three from three-point range. Jalen Brunson led the way with 26 points after missing Tuesday's loss to Atlanta with a knee injury.
The victory made a statement in more ways than one: New York (37-26) moved back into fourth place in the Eastern Conference by ending the longest active winning streak in the NBA at five and getting the best of the opponent they'd be facing on the Eastern playoff bracket if the season ended on Saturday. Orlando (37-27) was one of only two teams that had posted a perfect record against the Knicks in at least three meetings, alongside the NBA's finest from Boston.
Though the Knicks anticipate having defensive stalwart OG Anunoby back in the fold sooner rather than later, they'll look for any form of separation from the jam-packed middle portions of the playoff picture: fourth and eighth place in the East (the spots respectively filled by New York, Orlando, Miami, Philadelphia, and Indiana) are separated by two games entering Saturday action. The Knicks have consecutive home games against the Philadelphia 76ers on the horizon, the first looming on Sunday night (7 p.m. ET, MSG/ESPN).
With both Anunoby and fellow stopper Mitchell Robinson out, posting one of the best defensive showings in recent professional memory is a solid way of showing the conference's contenders that they're not going anywhere.
“We know what’s at stake,” Josh Hart, he of 19 points and seven rebounds, said, per Stefan Bondy of the New York Post. “We’re always locked into the scouting report, so I wouldn’t say it gave us more juice. But the focus level was there.”
