Magic Survives Scare From Scrappy Knicks

The New York Knicks came to town hungry for a win, but the Orlando Magic sent the team back to the Big Apple starving.

Jeremy Brener | Mar 23, 2023

Magic Survives Scare From Scrappy Knicks /

In this story:

Orlando Magic

ORLANDO - The Orlando Magic is counting its lucky stars after a 111-106 win against the New York Knicks Thursday night at Amway Center.

The Magic came into the game with the upper hand when the Knicks came into the game on the second night of a back-to-back after playing the Knicks the night before against the Miami Heat. New York was also missing star point guard Jalen Brunson, who was out with a sprained right hand.

The Knicks played tight defense in the first quarter, but the Magic pulled away in the second after a 16-0 run put Orlando ahead.

New York found itself chipping away trying to regain the lead from there, and at the end of the third quarter, the Knicks came all the way back from down 17 to tie the game at 75.

However, the Magic offense caught a spark in the fourth quarter, connecting on seven triples to pull out the win.

Paolo Banchero led the way for the Magic with 21 points, one of eight Orlando players to score at least eight points. For the Knicks, Quentin Grimes and Immanuel Quickley posted 25 points apiece while Julius Randle added 23.

Orlando's win tonight puts the team four games back of the No. 10 seed in the Eastern Conference and keeps the season alive. Meanwhile, the Knicks remain in the No. 5 spot, but are now only 1.5 games ahead of the play-in tournament.

The Magic concludes its three-game homestand Sunday night when the other team from NYC, the Brooklyn Nets, come to town. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.

You can follow Jeremy Brener on Twitter @JeremyBrener.

Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Magic? Click Here.

Follow The Magic Insider on Facebook.

Follow The Magic Insider on Twitter.

Want even more Orlando Magic news? Check out the SI.com team page here.

Published Mar 23, 2023

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.