Orlando Magic Grades: Orlando Magic 97, New York Knicks 73

The Orlando Magic went with their young players to finish off the New York Knicks, using a huge effort from Mario Hezonja to pull away and win on the road.

Mario Hezonja was feeling it. He had hit a 3-pointer to give the Orlando Magic a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter.

And what was coach Frank Vogel going to do? Pull him? Not a chance. Not with Aaron Gordon and the rest of the starters seemingly done for the night and the game against the New York Knicks taking on a decidedly preseason feel. Both teams would rather finish with their young players.

Hezonja drained a 3-pointer to answer to give the Magic a 13-point lead. He raced to the other end of the court and rotated over to get in front of Kyle O’Quinn. With an expletive-laden statement to O’Quinn to get his shot out of there, he swatted it and started a fast break.

Hezonja was score 11 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter, draining shots with confidence and pacing the Magic to a blowout 97-73 victory over the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. There was a fair amount of energy and chest-thumping as the Magic’s second unit closed the game to deliver a win.

Orlando kept starters Nikola Vucevic and Aaron Gordon on the bench for most of the second half, letting young players like Jamel Artis, Khem Birch, Rodney Purvis and Mario Hezonja finish the game. It was a risky move for winning, but a good one for development. And the young players delivered. Really on both ends.

Neither the Magic nor the Knicks seemed particularly interested in throwing their veterans out there for too long. They did not seem particularly interested in strong execution either.

Orlando shot 42.0 percent from the floor. Gordon had an off night, shooting just 3 for 15 from the floor, missing all eight of his 3-pointers. The Magic winning despite that was encouraging and surprising.

New York seemed unable to generate much offense, even when the team got open shots and outside of O’Quinn’s second-chance points. The Knicks scored just 28 points in the second half — only 12 in the fourth quarter — and shot 34.9 percent from the floor. They hit on just 4 of 27 3-pointers.

It was not a pretty game for the Knicks by any stretch. But that is what happens when there are two teams playing fringe NBA players. The game was ragged at moments. But Orlando kept its energy up throughout the game. Effort was never a question.

And when the Magic have that, they have a chance to win. At least against a team like the Knicks, equally trying to lose and devoid of talent.

MARIO HEZONJA. A-. When Mario Hezonja’s confidence is brimming in a positive way, he is a breathtaking player to watch. He is confidently hoisting and making jumpers. His athleticism is on full display as is his shotmaking. He looks every bit the fifth overall pick the Orlando Magic believed he was three years ago. That was this game. Hezonja hit one shot in the fourth quarter and seemed to be going downhill.Hezonja scored 19 points on 7-for-12 shooting, making five of his eight 3-pointers. His offense was fantastic. He was moving the ball well and making good decisions. Hezonja rarely forced shots. Not until his confidence was overflowing. And that was the difference in the game. His scoring burst was the difference.But what made Hezonja’s game even more special was his defense. He was willing to challenge shots and take contact. He was rotating well and rarely out of position. That is where his game has grown the most. This was a complete effort from him. One where Hezonja led.. F. Orlando Magic

B. <a href=. C. Orlando Magic. NIKOLA VUCEVIC

KHEM BIRCH. A-. <a href=. C. Orlando Magic

PF. Orlando Magic. AARON GORDON. C+. Aaron Gordon did not shoot the ball well. He scored just seven points on 3-for-15 shooting. He missed all eight of his 3-pointers. Offensively, he was not bad. He took some good shots and his selection was generally good. Maybe he was settling too much for his jumper. Gordon was not extremely assertive. He just missed shots, maybe favoring his 3-pointer a bit too much.That is definitely one way to view his game. And he certainly could do a lot better there. He will need to do a lot better there. Especially as anxious fans — and management — maybe want to see him shine as the main star on this team. They have to pay him after all.Gordon though did a lot of other things really well. He contributed to the win without his scoring. His defense on <a rel=

27-51. 12th East. NEW YORK KNICKS. C-. The New York Knicks, like the Orlando Magic, are not necessarily trying to win games. Or, maybe better, they are not putting out optimal lineups. The Magic certainly were not at the end of this game. New York did not return its starters to the court until the game was getting out of hand. By then, the train was too late.But even with those starters in, the Knicks were hardly competitive. They were fighting and the game remained close because the Magic were willing to fight back. But New York just was not making shots. And eventually, they gave in and gave up all those points to Orlando.Like the Magic’s last two games, this one was really about who was going to play hard at the right moment and make the shots and plays. The Magic did just that.

Next: Orlando magic offense slowed without Evan Fournier

The Orlando Magic return home to take on the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday at the Amway Center.