Magic Survives Scare From Scrappy Knicks
ORLANDO - The Orlando Magic is counting its lucky stars after a 111-106 win against the New York Knicks Thursday night at Amway Center.
The Magic came into the game with the upper hand when the Knicks came into the game on the second night of a back-to-back after playing the Knicks the night before against the Miami Heat. New York was also missing star point guard Jalen Brunson, who was out with a sprained right hand.
The Knicks played tight defense in the first quarter, but the Magic pulled away in the second after a 16-0 run put Orlando ahead.
New York found itself chipping away trying to regain the lead from there, and at the end of the third quarter, the Knicks came all the way back from down 17 to tie the game at 75.
However, the Magic offense caught a spark in the fourth quarter, connecting on seven triples to pull out the win.
Paolo Banchero led the way for the Magic with 21 points, one of eight Orlando players to score at least eight points. For the Knicks, Quentin Grimes and Immanuel Quickley posted 25 points apiece while Julius Randle added 23.
Orlando's win tonight puts the team four games back of the No. 10 seed in the Eastern Conference and keeps the season alive. Meanwhile, the Knicks remain in the No. 5 spot, but are now only 1.5 games ahead of the play-in tournament.
The Magic concludes its three-game homestand Sunday night when the other team from NYC, the Brooklyn Nets, come to town. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.
You can follow Jeremy Brener on Twitter @JeremyBrener.
Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Magic? Click Here.
Follow The Magic Insider on Facebook.
Follow The Magic Insider on Twitter.
Want even more Orlando Magic news? Check out the SI.com team page here.
