The Knicks were in a back-and-forth bout against the Magic on Saturday until the fourth quarter started.
New York entered the final frame down just five points and cut it to three in the opening minutes of the fourth when the Magic put an end to the comeback with an offensive explosion. Orlando picked apart the Knicks defense, cutting to the basket for easy buckets and hitting their threes. At the same time, the Knicks’ offense became stagnant, allowing the Magic to build a lead as large as 18 points.
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Even though Jalen Brunson tried to will a comeback, cutting the deficit to 12, it was too little too late as the Knicks waved the white flag and took a 133-121 loss.
Digging deeper into the numbers of the game, the Knicks’ defense allowed 64 points in the paint as the Magic shot 55 percent from the field and 39 percent from three for the game. And the Magic made it look easy.
“We got to do a better job of taking care of the paint,” head coach Mike Brown said after the loss. “We didn’t do a great job of taking care of the paint tonight, 64 points in the paint, that’s what they do. Thirty free throw attempts. That’s what they do, so we have to do a better job in that area while trying to take care of the ball, but give those guys a lot of credit for stepping up and creating some separation late in the ball game.”
The Magic are known for their physical style on offense and defense. It was that physicality that dominated the Knicks the first time they played each other this season, that time at MSG. Brown made his disappointment in his players known after that loss, saying the Magic “kicked our a–“, but this time was different for the first-year Knicks coach.
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Brown pointed out how it was just a one-possession game in the fourth quarter when he took out Jordan Clarkson and Magic forward Franz Wagner went on a heater.
“As a group, we got a little deflated, and like I said, you got to give Orlando credit, they pounced on us,” Brown said. “We needed to do a better job of playing through their run during that time.”
Wagner put up a game-high 37 points, which was also his season-high. On Saturday, the Magic scored a season-high in points while three players had their individual season highs. Wagner’s 37 to go along with Desmond Bane‘s 27 and Jalen Suggs‘ 26 points.
“For us, we gotta be better,” Brunson said of the run that put the game out of reach. “They were getting offensive rebounds, kickout threes. We didn’t close that third quarter well. They just went on their run, and then it was too late until we kind of adjusted to it. We gotta start quarters better, we gotta end quarters better. Just not a good showing for us in the second half.”
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Although the teams matched each other in total rebounds, the Magic had a slight lead on the offensive glass, 11-9, but the players kept going back to the disparity in paint points.
“That’s just a bad job on us,” Josh Hart said. “Obviously, there’s guys who are out there that we probably could have played off a little bit, and we didn’t do that and we let guys drive across the paint… We gotta watch the film and get better.”
Brunson said the team has to do a better job of keeping the ball in front of them on defense, and that starts with him. However, he says the Knicks have to be better at helping each other on defense.
Despite the bad defensive performance, the Knicks remain 9-6 but fall to 1-5 on the road. Brown was asked if he’s confident the Knicks’ defense can be better, and the coach believes it’s possible.
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“I’m confident we can be where we need to defensively,” Brown said. “We played well in some instances, and we haven’t played well, and that’s what you kind of go through, especially during this part of the year. So, I do think we can be a really good defensive team. But again, no matter who we throw out there, we gotta have a feel and understanding what we’re trying to do on that end of the floor to get things done.”
What makes him so confident? Brown says he’s seen the defense they want in the two prior games.
In Wednesday’s win against the Mavericks, the Knicks held Dallas to 41 percent shooting and held them to 111 points. Against the Heat — a loss — Miami shot 45 percent and scored 113 points.
“We’re going to be fine at the end of the day because our guys want it, and they have been better,” Brown said.
The Knicks will look to improve their defense and get back in the win column when they travel to Brooklyn to take on the Nets on Monday.
