Knicks at Magic Preview: How, Who to Watch in Pre-All-Star Finale

The New York Knicks will look to close out their pre-All-Star schedule on a high note with a win over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday.

The New York Knicks could use a break.

Decimated by injuries and sitting at the wrong end of one of the most ill-timed foul calls in recent NBA memory, the Knicks have one more game on their docket before the merciful arrival of the All-Star break, as they'll head to Central Florida to mingle with the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night.

The Knicks will look to avoid their first four-game losing streak in over a calendar year, as they've dropped each of their last three following the controversial ending to Monday's game in Houston. Despite their recent bad luck, the Knicks are poised to go into the break on relatively stable ground in the Eastern Conference playoff picture, currently stationed in fourth place and a half-game ahead of the reeling Philadelphia 76ers. 

New York will continue to navigate without some of its most prominent contributors (i.e. OG Anunoby, Julius Randle) while also dealing with new ailments to Donte DiVincenzo and Isaiah Hartenstein, whose statuses for the pre-All-Star finale are in doubt. 

The Knicks have had some uncanny trouble with the Magic this season, having dropped each of their first two meetings with the young group. That tally includes a 98-94 loss at Madison Square Garden on Jan. 15, as Miles McBride's career-best 20 points weren't enough to counter a matching tally and more from sophomore sensation and upcoming All-Star Paolo Banchero. Orlando, which is coming off a 127-113 loss to Oklahoma City on Tuesday, has not won three games against the Knicks in a single campaign since 2017-18. 

What: New York Knicks (33-21) @ Orlando Magic (29-25)

Where: Kia Center, Orlando, FL

When/Watch: Wednesday, 7 p.m. ET, MSG

Who's Favored: ORL -3.5

Keep An Eye On: Jalen Brunson

Any lingering doubter in Brunson is either ignorant or immature, maybe a hint of both. But Wednesday is perhaps an opportunity for yet another brilliant statement from the Knicks' backcourt sensation: in the headlines for dour reasons beyond his control, Brunson is the undisputed face of the Knicks as his assistants drop like flies around him. The upcoming All-Star break, which will be anything but a vacation for Brunson, will soothe the blow a bit and allow the Knicks to recover, but games like these are crucial for their standing in the playoff picture ... as well as Brunson's MVP case. There'd be no better impression to leave on voters, especially with an extended hiatus coming up, than rising on an occasion such as this.

Floridian to Watch: Goga Bitadze

The Georgian center is firmly stationed behind Wendell Carter and Mo Wagner on the Magic's interior depth chart, but he has strangely haunted the Knicks in each of the two times they've played this season: stationed in the starting five the first time they met in December, Bitadze had 13 points and seven rebounds before following that up with 11 boards in the aforementioned MSG meeting. With the Knicks' interior depth reeling now that Hartenstein's down, Orlando could take advantage with a formidable hydra of Bitadze, Carter, and Wagner clogging up the paint.

They Said It

“The thing with the officials — this is the way I feel about them, in general — is I don’t really care how tight the game is called. You can call it tight or you can call it loose. I just want consistency to be the same and they have a job. They have to control and manage the game. That’s their No. 1 responsibility. They have to use their judgment, and I have respect for that."-Tom Thibodeau on officiating in Thursday's loss to Houston (h/t Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News)

Prediction

The Knicks' backs are firmly against the wall for the first time in a while. What began as a relatively consequence-free year is suddenly burdened with expectations after some monumental trades. Even with the injuries piling up, no one's going to give the Knicks the benefit of the doubt anymore and it feels like they don't even want it. Knowing what's been known and seeing what's been seen this season, there would be something so wrong about the Knicks going into the eight-day All-Star break on a four-game drought. The Knicks have firmly grasped opportunities to make statements this season and there's a prime opportunity to do it again on Wednesday.

Knicks 109, Magic 104