Knicks shut down in fourth quarter as they lose to Magic, 83-95

The Knicks trailed by as many as 13 points late in the third quarter before going on a 13-0 run to tie the game but soon after, they barely found the way to score. With 8 minutes left to play, and with a fragile one point lead, they dropped rock bottom allowing the Magic to finish the game on a 16-3 run and take a 83-95 win at the Amway Center.

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With Dennis Smith Jr. and Elfrid Payton out, coach David Fizdale tried once again the not so inspiring formula of starting RJ Barrett at the point and Wayne Ellington at the shooting guard position while retaining Frank Ntilikina on the bench.

The French guard did a good job in the 29 minutes he played, scoring 7 points, grabbing 4 rebounds and assisting 4 times, but also making a 32-foot three pointer at the buzzer, in the closing seconds of the first quarter.

“As players, every player has got to be ready for any roles the coach wants them to do. So this is my mindset. It’s all about the team, all about where I fit the best.”

– Frank Ntilikina

Barrett faded in his fifth game after setting century records earlier and finished the game with 9 points. Ellington shot 1-8 from the field and finished with just 2 points in 19 minutes.

The Knicks were led by Julius Randle’s 16 points and 10 rebounds while Mitchell Robinson dropped a dozen, all of them in the first half.

Bobby Portis did an excellent job off the bench with 12 points and 10 rebounds; Kevin Knox continued to gain confidence and although his shooting decreased, going just 3-10 from the field, he scored 10 points.

The Magic were led by Nikola Vucevic’s 21 point and 13 rebounds. Aaron Gordon contributed with 15 buckets and 11 boards, Evan Fournier scored 14.

The Knicks have now dropped to 1-4 while the Magic improved to 2-2.

Next up: Knicks @ Boston on Friday night.