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Knicks Face Gritty Magic Team

The New York Knicks have a tough task against the Orlando Magic.

Jeremy Brener

Dec 15, 2024; Orlando, Florida, USA; Orlando Magic guard Cole Anthony (50) drives to the basket against New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby (8) in the fourth quarter at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Reper-Imagn Images
Dec 15, 2024; Orlando, Florida, USA; Orlando Magic guard Cole Anthony (50) drives to the basket against New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby (8) in the fourth quarter at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Reper-Imagn Images / Jeremy Reper-Imagn Images
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ORLANDO, Fla. — The New York Knicks are fresh off their Christmas Day victory against the San Antonio Spurs, but now they head to the Sunshine State to take on the Orlando Magic for the second time this month.

Back on Dec. 15, the Knicks became the first team to beat the Magic at the Kia Center this season, and they will look to be the first to beat Orlando twice in its own building.

The Magic remain without Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, two All-Star caliber players who both have torn obliques, but the team took another blow last week when backup center Moe Wagner tore his ACL, sidelining him for the season.

The Magic lost the elder Wagner when playing the Miami Heat on Saturday and were also without Jalen Suggs, who has since returned from his sprained ankle. Despite being down 25 points, the Magic came back — mostly in the fourth quarter — to beat the Heat, completing and tying the largest comeback in franchise history.

In their next game, they played against the defending champion Boston Celtics and trailed by 15 points at halftime. However, the Magic made up that deficit in the third quarter alone and found a way to beat the Celtics.

Simply put, the Magic will play extremely hard for all 48 minutes, which is part of the culture that head coach Jamahl Mosley has imposed over the past four years. It makes them an extremely dangerous team capable of beating anyone, including the Knicks.

The Magic played last night against the Heat for the second time in a week, so they aren't as well-rested as the Knicks. New York should look to exploit any possible advantage, because even though the game on paper looks easy, it will be anything but that.

Tipoff is scheduled tonight for 7 p.m. ET inside the Kia Center.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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