The New York Knicks beat the Orlando Magic 121-106 on Tuesday, securing a spot in the NBA Cup quarterfinals. Karl-Anthony Towns was a standout with 23 points and 15 rebounds, while Jalen Brunson added 21 points. New York finished the group stage with a perfect 4-0 record in East Group A, and they’ll host Atlanta on December 11. The Magic, with a 3-1 record, also advanced as a wild card and will play in Milwaukee next.
The Knicks had a strong game overall, with Mikal Bridges scoring 19 points and Josh Hart contributing 11 points and 10 rebounds. The team has been on a roll lately, winning three straight games and eight of their last 10. On the other hand, Orlando had a tough night, with Franz Wagner leading the way with 30 points and Moritz Wagner adding 20 off the bench. The Magic’s six-game winning streak came to an end.
The Magic only needed to lose by less than 37 points to make it through the tiebreaker, but the Knicks built a comfortable lead, ending the first half 71-51 ahead. New York was up by 31 points going into the final quarter, putting Orlando’s hopes of advancing in danger. Despite a strong push from the Magic in the fourth quarter, where they outscored the Knicks 31-15, New York held on for the win.
A key stat from the game: Orlando has made at least one 3-pointer in every game since March 17, 2007— that’s 1,398 games in a row, the fifth-longest streak in NBA history!
Looking ahead, the Magic are now 2-1 in New York this week, having beaten the Nets before facing the Knicks. The two teams will meet again in January.
