Knicks Address Deep Woes After 3rd Straight Loss

The New York Knicks' three-point shooting failed them again on Monday against the Orlando Magic.

Jan 6, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) reacts to a call in the fourth quarter against the Orlando Magic at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

A lack of three led to the worst kind of three for the New York Knicks.

The Knicks' lengthy homestand got off to an inauspicious start on Monday night, as the first of 14 consecutive games in the Eastern time zone was a 103-94 defeat to a severely shorthanded Orlando Magic group. Combined with road losses in Oklahoma City and Chicago over the weekend, the Knicks (24-13) have lost three consecutive games for the first time this season.

It'd be easy to blame the latest defeat on the lack of Karl-Anthony Towns, who sat out due to knee soreness endured Saturday's loss in Chicago. But the Knicks' true issues emerged from the outside: New York was 4-of-22 from three-point range, just over 18 percent.

Jan 6, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) reacts to a call in the fourth quarter against the Orlando Magic at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

"There's going to be games where we shoot the lights out, there's going to be games where we can't buy a shot," said Josh Hart, who went 1-of-3 from deep (h/t New York Basketball on X). "We've got to make sure we are focused, that we give off the right energy. We can't have our own individual agendas, can't do any of that. We've got to make sure we're locked in on this team, sacrificing on this team, and go out there and play."

The Knicks hit three of their first six to open the game but proceeded to miss their next 15. Before Cameron Payne hit a meaningless triple that created the final margin toward the end, the three threes the Knicks had were tied for the lowest any team has hit in a single NBA game this season.

The visiting Magic (22-16) entered Monday's game with the worst three-point success rate in the league but several substitutes made up for the myriad of absences: with Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, and more still benched, makeshift headliners Cole Anthony, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Wendell Carter Jr. united to go 9-of-11 from deep.

Over the last nine games, the Knicks have hit only 31.6 percent of their tripes from deep, the second-to-worst rate in the league ahead of only lowly Charlotte. The fact they're still tied for third in the season-long category (37.9) speaks volumes about how hot they were to start the season.

Jan 6, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) takes a three point shot past Orlando Magic center Goga Bitadze (35) in the first quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

But in a strong rebuttal to the idea that the modern NBA relies on the deep ball, the Knicks have conducted themselves well when the three-pointer isn't falling: entering Monday night play, the Knicks were one of six teams to have a .500 or better record when hitting 10 or fewer triples (5-5). That, however, makes efforts like Monday's so frustrating, according to captain and point guard Jalen Brunson, who scored 24 points despite a stingy Orlando defensive effort limiting him to one successful try.

"The ball's not going in for us but that shouldn't be the reason why we're not winning games," Brunson said in video from SNY. "We've got to find a way to impact the game in other areas when we're not making shots and it starts with me."

The Knicks' next chance to make things right from deep lands on Wednesday when they welcome in the Toronto Raptors (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG).

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