The Knicks were without Karl-Anthony Towns. And Miles McBride. And Mitchell Robinson. And Isaiah Hartenstein and Julius Randle don’t play here anymore.
Instead, Knick fans watched Landry Shamet and Cameron Payne for most of the evening — the two getting considerable playing time. They played an aggressive brand of ball but the Knicks don’t look like the Knicks, despite Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart, and OG Anunoby being on the court as well.
Whoever was out there didn’t hit the 3 ball, again. NY went 4-22 from 3, and that was the real cause of the loss. Main culprits were Mikal Bridges (1-7 from 3; 10-20 overall for 24 pts), OG Anunoby (0-3 from 3; 4-11 overall for 9 pts), Jalen Brunson (0-1 from 3; 8-24 overall for 24 pts), and Shamet (0-3 from 3 for 0 pts in 21 minutes). In contrast, Orlando was 11-31 from 3.
Orlando was without their top stars — Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Moritz Wagner, and Jalen Suggs — but played their usual tough, pesky brand of basketball throughout, and finally beat NY for the first time in 4 matchups this year. Orlando is well coached by Jamahl Mosley.
Cole Anthony had a great game at the point with 24 pts on 9-18 shooting (3-6 from 3), and Wendell Carter came off the bench to hammer the Knicks with 19 pts on 8-11 shooting (3-3 from 3). Jonathan Isaac also hurt NY off the Orlando bench with 13 pts on 4-5 shooting, with 9 rebounds, and 2 blocks.
On a cold Monday night at Madison Square Garden, temps in low 20’s going down to the teens after a 1” snow in the morning.
“They played a good game, and we played a low-energy game, and we fell short,” said coach Tom Thibodeau afterwards. “We played low energy, and couldn’t get anything going. We have to get our energy back.”
NY has lost 3 in a row and fall to 24-13; Orlando improves to 22-16.
1. NY Up 28-24 After 1 Quarter
NY had lost 2 in a row coming in and was looking to win this one, but were without Karl-Anthony Towns who is day to day with knee soreness, and still without Miles McBride with his hamstring tightness.
NY played with energy out of the gate, and took an early 11-6 lead, which they increased to 15-8. But Orlando started matching their energy, pulling to a 22-22 tie before NY moved out to a 28-24 lead at the end of the 1st quarter on consecutive Jalen Brunson drives.
OG 💪 pic.twitter.com/C6l0X3ul5h
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) January 7, 2025
2. Orlando Takes Lead at the Half
But playing without Karl-Anthony Towns and inability to hit the 3 started to take its toll in the 2nd quarter.
in his groove ⚡️
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— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) January 7, 2025
Jonathan Isaac came off the Orlando bench and was killing NY inside. Precious Achiuwa played well, as did Jericho Sims at the center position, but Orlando seemed to have more energy. And they hit their 3 — Wendell Carter hitting consecutive 3’s early in the quarter and then Kentavious Caldwell-Pope hitting a 3 to tie the score 33-33.
The Knicks hung onto the lead for most of the quarter, but Goga Bitadze scored inside late in the period, and Jett Howard hit a 3 with 1 second left to give Orlando a 53-51 halftime lead.
3. Orlando Continue to Put Knicks on Heels in 3rd
The Knicks came out of the half looking intent to impose their will, but instead Orlando did — with Cole Anthony hitting bucket after bucket.
Cole Anthony at NYK:
24 PTS
7 REB
4 AST
9-18 FG
3 3PM pic.twitter.com/fsTlYUkuHr— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) January 7, 2025
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Tristan da Silva joined in and Orlando moved out to a single-digit lead.
the bank is open for cap
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— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) January 7, 2025
A Wendell Carter 3 near the end of the quarter gave Orlando a 7-pt lead.
4. Knicks Could Not Come Back in 4th
Wendell Carter Jr. continued to kill the Knicks at the start of the 4th quarter. NY tried to press themselves back into the game, with buckets by Bridges and Hart — but Carter kept answering.
NY pulled to within 6 pts with 5:37 left after a Precious Achiuwa slam and Brunson drive, but a Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 3 gave Orlando back momentum and a 9-pt lead with 4:30 left.
Down the stretch Brunson kept trying to bring the Knicks back but Wendell Carter and Cole Anthony pushed back — NY never got close.
“It’s tough, it’s tough to beat a team for — I think we’re 3-0 against them this season — 4 times in a row is tough regardless of who they have out,” said Jalen Brunson afterwards. “They have a coach who prides himself on physicality and defense and being tough. That’s just who he is and that’s their nature. And so you just have to give them a lot of credit.”
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