The Orlando Magic and New York Knicks had clear goals when they last faced each other. Their long-term goals will be more important when they meet again on Sunday night, with the Magic hosting the Knicks in the first game since the NBA Cup for both teams.
The second game between the Magic and Knicks in just 12 days was set after both teams were eliminated from the NBA Cup. Orlando lost to the Milwaukee Bucks 114-109 on Tuesday, while New York lost to the Atlanta Hawks 108-100 the following night.
The two teams will play each other four times this season, all between December 3 and January 6. Orlando is in third place, and New York is in fourth, just one game behind. This extra game could play a big role in determining playoff positions and tiebreakers.
Both teams are expected to look different in this game than they might in a potential playoff matchup. The Magic have already been playing without star forward Paolo Banchero due to a torn right oblique muscle. Then, on December 6, forward Franz Wagner injured his right oblique against the Philadelphia 76ers and is expected to be out for about a month.
Banchero, who was expected to miss four to six weeks when injured on October 30, has not yet returned to practice but is doing some limited basketball activities.
“He’s doing the same ball-handling, a little light movement on the floor and then just trying to find ways to get the cardio up without applying too much pressure,” said Magic coach Jamahl Mosley after Friday’s practice.
The Magic may get forward Jonathan Isaac back, as he practiced on Friday after missing three games due to a strained right hamstring.
The Knicks’ starting lineup has remained mostly the same. OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, Jalen Brunson, and Josh Hart have started every game, while Karl-Anthony Towns has started 23 games.
However, the Knicks have struggled to adjust on defense, despite adding Bridges and Towns in offseason trades. The Knicks are averaging 117.0 points per game this season, up from 112.8 last season. But they are allowing 110.9 points per game, which is a higher number than last season, when they gave up 108.2 points per game, the second-lowest in the NBA and the lowest in the East.
On Wednesday, the Knicks led at halftime but fell behind in the third quarter when the Hawks outscored them 34-18 while shooting 54.2 percent, including 66.7 percent from 3-point range.
“It’s true what they say and I’ve seen it; they say offense wins games and defense wins championships,” Towns said. “So it’s important that we go back and focus on the other side of the court and be the best version that we can be.
Obviously, it’s great we have a head start for us right now, statistically, where we need to be offensively to be that team. But the defense has to catch up and match that standard.”
