The Orlando Magic built an early lead and held on against an undermanned New York Knicks team, winning despite a poor shooting and bench effort.
The New York Knicks kept the pressure up. Over and over and over again. Even without Kristaps Porzingis and Tim Hardaway Jr., the Knicks were not going to go down quietly. A sure sign of their new identity and improved, confident play.
The Orlando Magic have not been tested much this year. There have been precious few close games and few opportunities to test their late-game mettle. A tight game with the way the Magic have played lately would surely be somewhat precarious.
The Magic, in control from nearly the start of the game, never blinked. Or, if they staggered, found a response in a 105-100 victory at Madison Square Garden on Sunday.
The Knicks pushed the Magic, Arron Afflalo hit a deep 3-pointer to give the Magic some breathing room. They pushed again, Jonathon Simmons came up with a big shot. All the while the defense held firm, closing down the lane and forcing difficult shots. Aaron Gordon rode Michael Beasley hard to force a tough runner, the Magic dug out the rebound and got to the foul line on the other end.
The Magic made their free throws to hang on for the victory.
This was not a pretty game by any stretch. Orlando’s beautiful basketball that built as much as a 17-point lead in the first quarter evaporated as the reserves came in. The Magic’s bench struggled to generate much scoring. But they held the boat steady.
Even as the Knicks and Magic see-sawed into and out of the lead, the Magic maintained control. They did not panic or let the Knicks get too far away. This was always their game. And it was because of their defense. The kind of grind-it-out game the Magic found a way to win early on in the year.
Orlando’s 6-for-28 shooting from beyond the arc is hardly enough to win on most nights. But the Magic stayed aggressive. They got to the line for 29 free throws, making 25. The offense was gummed up. But for the first time in a while, the defense held its own.
New York shot just 46.2 percent from the floor and 5 for 15 from beyond the arc. The Knicks could not get anything going or get their own shooting down consistently. And then was all the room the Magic needed.
It was hardly a landmark win for the Magic. Perhaps it should have come easier against a depleted New York team. But for a team that has lost so much in the last month, Orlando will take whatever it can get.
The Orlando Magic finish the back-to-back against the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night in Charlotte, looking to build off this win and two wins in the last three games.