ORLANDO, FL – The Orlando Magic returned home from a frustrating west coast road trip and took out all of those frustrations on the New York Knicks with a 107-89 win at The Amway Center on Wednesday night..
It’s gotta be the home cooking, or much needed rest that had the Magic lifted last night. The Magic, coming off of a 1-4 west coast road trip and having only 9 players and two point guards available for the game, and one of them was just signed, came ready to play.
Terrance Ross came was on fire last night with 30 points, infusing going 5 of 6 from 3-point land, and intense energy. Dude was everywhere on offense and defense, giving the team the energy lift that they needed.
Hopeful All-star Nikola Vucevic scored 16 points, which is below his average, however, he puled down 15 rebounds during the game. Evan Fournier returned to the floor for Orlando and scored a solid 19 points.
Michael Carter-Williams also provided energy at point guard, with 6 points but a 7 key assists, keeping the ball moving into the right place at the right time.
The Knicks were lead by a rejuvenated Julius Randle with 25 points, followed by RJ Barrett with 15 points. Elfred Payton was also a menace with drive to the inside, Nerlens Noel pulled down 9 reboots for New York.
The Game was a pretty even match through most of the first half , With the Knicks leading the score in the first quarter 32-23, but the Magic scratching back to a 30-24 second quarter scoring tally and a score of 56-53 Knicks lead going into the half.
The Magic outscored the Knicks 30-14 in the third quarter, leading by as much as 13 points in the quarter. Aggressive play by Michal Carter-Williams kept New York honest on the inside, with a couple of emphatic dunks during the game.
The Magic seemed to have the Knicks figured out by the fourth quarter, as New York’s offense just wasn’t functioning. Head Coach Tom Thibodeau called time out after time out because of offensive or defensive breakdowns. Orlando outscored the Knicks 24-19 in the fourth quarter, meaning New York scored only 33 points in the second half.
“Playing against a team that’s been playing really well, and playing from an early deficit also, I thought guys hung in there,” Magic Head Coach Clifford said. “Particularly the second half was one of the, obviously, better 24 minutes we’ve played so far.”
The Magic next face the visiting Golden State Warriors on Friday, February 19th at The Amway Center.
