Knicks drop again at home to the weakest in the East

Another trap game at home, against the Orlando Magic. The New York Knicks dropped again at the Garden against the rebuilding Orlando Magic, 104-98 after unsuccessfully coming back from a 10 point deficit late in the third quarter.

RJ Barrett led the Knicks with 17 points while shooting 7-19 from the field and 0-7 from long distance. Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson scored 13 points each while the starting backcourt, Evan Fournier and Kemba Walker combined 10 points.

It was another disastrous third quarter with the Knicks being unable to score for five straight minutes while allowing the Magic to go on a 9-0 run that gave them a 68-58 lead with 2:32 left on the clock. By the end of the quarter the Knicks managed to cut the lead at five.

In the fourth quarter, Alec Burks, who had scored just 2 points prior and was 0-5 from behind the arc, suddenly got hot. Burks scored 13 points in the last act including four three pointers that brought the Knicks back in the game with a 92-86 lead when there were still 5:45 left to play. It seemed that the Knicks were ready to secure their 9th win.

But as the clock ran down, the Magic got closer. They cut the lead to 96-94 with 1:54 left, then shocked the Knicks with a 10-2 run, winning their fourth game of the season. Out of four total victories for Orlando, half of them were at Madison Square Garden.

“It’s just weird out here right now. That’s the best way to describe it — a little choppy. It’s a little weird. The chemistry’s not there yet. Like the flow of the game. It doesn’t feel like the flow and the chemistry are there yet.”

– Julius Randle

Obi Toppin scored 14 points off the bench. He was 6-9 from the field and 2-3 from long distance. Toppin also grabbed 5 boards in 18 minutes. Derrick Rose finished with 10 points.

Franz Wagner led the Orlando Magic with 17 points and New York native, Cole Anthony, logged 15 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists.

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Up next: The Knicks (8-7) will host the Houston Rockets (1-14) currently the last team in the NBA, Saturday from 5:00pm.