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- Tickets: $32-$406+ on StubHub
- Season Series: Magic 124, Knicks 107 in New York City on Nov. 12; Magic 133, Knicks 121 in Orlando on Nov. 22; Knicks 106, Magic 100 in New York City on Dec. 7; Tonight in Las Vegas (NBA Cup Semifinal)
Orlando Magic vs. New York Knicks: Stats and 3 Keys to Watch
New York | Orlando | |
|---|---|---|
98.9 | Pace | 101.3 |
121.8 | Off. Rtg. | 115.7 |
113.2 | Def. Rtg. | 111.5 |
56.1 | eFG% | 53.5 |
34.0 | O.Reb.% | 32.6 |
13.4 | TO% | 14.3 |
25.8 | FTR | 33.0 |
1. Make or Miss League
It feels overly simplistic to say the Orlando Magic's ability to defeat the New York Knicks will come down to whether they make or miss shots.
But the game will come down to whether the team makes or misses shots. Orlando must make threes and make shots to win.
Obviously.
The Magic are shooting 36.7 percent from three in wins and 31.1 percent from three in losses. The difference even against the Knicks are stark. Orlando made 12 of 33 (36.4 percent) and 13 of 33 (39.4 percent) in the two wins against New York and 12 for 42 (28.6 percent) from deep in the loss last week.
If the Magic are going to take their threes, they need to make them. Because their defense mostly does the job on the other end.
The Knicks are a high-volume 3-point shooting team, ranking sixth with 40.8 attempts per game and sixth at 37.8 percent from three-point range. However, against the Magic, the Knicks have made 11 of 36 (30.6 percent), 13 of 37 (35.1 percent) and 11 of 35 (31.4 percent), failing to meet their averages in all three games.
The Magic have done well to take away this critical weapon. It is on them to make them pay for it and beat them from deep. They at least need to break even without settling for threes.
2. Spotlight on Paolo
The talk around Las Vegas when it comes to the Orlando Magic has been on the big picture issue most Magic fans are trying to dismiss: Are the Magic better without Paolo Banchero?
That is still a really unfair question to ask. The Magic have not been healthy enough with a healthy Banchero to get any clear conclusions about their long-term project and what things mean for the team. Even right now, Banchero is clearly still working his way back from the strained groin that sidelined him for three weeks.
But with the national media and the whole NBA world watching these two games today, the spotlight is on Paolo Banchero to prove he can impact winning and keep the Magic among the top teams in the East without Franz Wagner on the floor.
Wagner already proved he could win with Banchero on the shelf. Now, it is Banchero's turn.
Banchero has been easing himself back into the flow after his injury. He has scored 43 points and shot 12 for 32 (37.5 percent) in his three games since returning. But he has progressively improved, capped off with an 18-point, seven-rebound, four-assist effort against the Miami Heat in Tuesday's quarterfinal win.
The Magic are starting to see Banchero pick up steam. And they will need a strong effort from Banchero to advance in this tournament.
3. Battle on the Boards
The New York Knicks' biggest stat to start the season is their offensive rebounding.
The Knicks are third in the league with 13.8 offensive rebounds per game and are fourth with a 34.0 percent offensive rebound rate. They average 18.4 second-chance points per game, trailing only the Houston Rockets.
The winner of this game might be the team that controls the offensive glass and finds second chances and opportunities to score. This is going to be a game of hidden and extra possessions.
The Orlando Magic have been good about that and even good about that against the New York Knicks.
The Knicks have only a 28.8 percent offensive rebound rate against the Magic and have scored only 13.0 second-chance points per game. The Magic have done well to take this weapon away.
For the season, Orlando is third in the league with a 71.7 percent defensive rebound rate.
The team is also eighth in the league with a 32.6 percent offensive rebound rate, including a 36.2 percent offensive rebound rate against New York, New York's worst rate against any team this seaosn. The Magic are fourth in the league with 17.2 second-chance points per game and have averaged 16.7 second-chance points per game against the Knicks this season.
Orlando's ability to control the glass will be essential to the team's success.
Orlando Magic vs. New York Knicks: Injury Report & Projected Lineups
New York Knicks Injury Report
- Landry Shamet - OUT (Right Shoulder Sprain)
- Miles McBride - OUT (Left Ankle Sprain)
- Pacome Dadiet - QUESTIONABLE (Left Ankle Sprain)
Orlando Magic Injury Report
- Franz Wagner - OUT (Left High Ankle Sprain)
- Moe Wagner - OUT (Left Knee Injury Recovery)
- Colin Castleton - OUT (Left Thumb Fracture)
Projected Starting Lineups
New York | Orlando | |
|---|---|---|
Jalen Brunson | PG | Jalen Suggs |
OG Anunoby | SG | Anthony Black |
Mikal Bridges | SF | Desmond Bane |
Josh Hart | PF | Paolo Banchero |
Karl-Anthony Towns | C | Wendell Carter |
Orlando Magic vs. New York Knicks: Prediction
Our Record: 15-10/13-12 ATS
You expect a game between two heavyweights in the conference to be something of a true toss-up. This is a toss-up game. Either team should come into it and expect to win just as much as they should expect this to be a drag-out fight.
It is going to come down to hidden possessions and little things. It is going to come down to making shots at the right time and maybe getting an unexpected boost from someone you are not thinking of.
The way this series has played out, the Orlando Magic have been the more physical team. The New York Knicks have had to steel themselves to meet the Orlando Magic's physicality.
In two of those games they got "punked" in the words of several Knicks commentators. Even the win last Sunday saw Orlando push New York around a bit after the team got its feet under them following Franz Wagner's injury.
The Magic should feel pretty confident they can get that defense to duplicate again. They should feel confident that someone between Desmond Bane, Anthony Black and Jalen Suggs will step in and have a big performance.
What they will need to win this game is a starring game from either Desmond Bane or Paolo Banchero. With the way Banchero has been trending, he seems due for a big game to break the ice. And he loves playing on the big stage in Playoff-like intensity, which this game certainly will have.
Orlando will have to survive the onslaught that inevitably will come from Jalen Brunson. He will get his. But the Magic tend to wear him down as the game goes on. The Knicks will need another big game from Karl-Anthony Towns or Mikal Bridges. Both have struggled to find their footing at various times against Orlando.
The Magic simply might be their Kryptonite.