Orlando, FL — After a disappointing loss last night to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Magic bounced back in a big way getting their 30th win of the season tonight over the New York Knicks 118-108.
Both of these teams came into the night depleted with injuries as the Magic were missing Markelle Fultz (left knee injury maintenance), Gary Harris (right calf injury maintenance), and Jalen Suggs (sore right groin). The Knicks were missing Julius Randle, Isaiah Hartenstein, Bojan Bogdanovic, Donte Divencenzio, Mitchell Robinson, and OG Anunoby.
The first quarter was a shootout by both teams as both first-time All-Stars Jalen Brunson and Paolo Banchero put on a show. Brunson came out firing on all cylinders in that first period with 20 points on 7-11 shooting and 3-4 from behind the arch. Brunson would finish the evening totaling 33 points on 11-21 from the field and 5-8 from deep; he was nearly unstoppable all night long.
Orlando went on a 17-3 run to open the second period and they were led by Paolo Banchero who put together a great first half scoring 22 points as he shot an incredibly efficient 9-10 from the field and connected on 4-5 from deep. Banchero made three shots from deep in the second quarter alone, highlighted by an incredible one off the glass as the time expired on the shot clock. Paolo led all scorers tonight with 36 points while shooting 15-20 from the field, 6-10 from deep, and also chipped in seven rebounds.
After the Magic led the Knicks by ten going into the halftime locker room they opened the floodgates and blew the Knicks out in that second half. In that third period, you had two great plays from Anthony Black who got the start tonight in the absence of Markelle Fultz. Black raced down the court and Banchero hit him in stride for a wide-open fastbreak dunk, he followed it up with a great pass from the right corner, to a wide-open Banchero under the basket for an easy slam down low.
The Knicks would hang around going into the fourth quarter down 12 points, but the Magic pulled away in the final period in front of the home crowd. Franz Wagner set the tone to open up the final quarter knifing through the defense and finishing at the basket, hitting Jonathan Issac for a transition alley oop, and being aggressive getting downhill and getting to the line.
Orlando’s second unit led by Cole Anthony, Jonathan Issac, and Mo Wagner all were exceptional tonight in their roles and providing spark when needed. Cole finished the evening with 11 points and was a +21 on the court, Issac in limited minutes (14:32) made a big impact on the offensive boards with three of those rebounds, and Mo did an exceptional job of getting downhill and finishing at the rim consistently.
Head Coach of the Magic Jamahl Mosley preaches to his team and the media always about doing it by “committee”. Mosley had high praise for 10th-year forward Joe Ingles on his impact on the bench unit and he stated,
“He’s a winner and he’s finding different ways to impact the game. Whether that’s coming down the court, hitting somebody on the screen, getting his hands dirty, or getting his hands on the basketball. Just moving the ball with quick decisions, finding the right play and that’s what we have. We have a bunch of guys that are willing and wanting to make the right play.”
Orlando is now heading into the All-Star break in the thick of the Eastern Conference Playoff race and will be getting much-needed rest over the next eight days. Second-year Forward Paolo Banchero who was named to his first All-Star game a few weeks ago will also be participating in the NBA Skills Challenge, as well as the NBA Rising Stars game.
“I’m just looking forward to the whole experience, taking it all in.” Paolo Banchero on what he is looking forward to during NBA All-Star weekend. “And being with some of the other players and just taking it all in, I have my family there who I haven’t seen in a long time. My brother and sister, I haven’t seen them since the season started, so it’ll be fun.”
The Magic with their win tonight improved to 30-25 on the season and will play their next game on Feb. 22 in Cleveland to kick off a three-game road trip.