Knicks advance to NBA Cup quarterfinals with a 15-point win over the Magic
New York finishes group play 4-0; Hart finishes with triple-double
The Magic came into this game as the league’s top defensive team, allowing just 102.3 points per game. At the end of the third quarter the Knicks had 106 points and they finished with a 121-106 win at Madison Square Garden. The was an NBA Cup featuring two teams with a 3-0 record. The Knicks win the pool play and will advance to the quarterfinals, where they’ll host the Hawks on December 11.
The Knicks fell behind early, as the Magic – the worst 3-point shooting team in the league – hit three straight from behind the arc to open a 9-2 lead. The Knicks then embarked on a 19-7 run and never trailed again.
Despite going up against a top defensive squad, the Knicks were extremely efficient shooting the ball, especially in the first quarter. As a team they shot 65% from the floor, 57.1% from 3-point land and hit 6-6 from the free-throw line.
They cooled down slightly in the second quarter but still ended the opening half shooting 57.8% and held a 71-51 lead at intermission.
Four of the five Knicks starters scored at least 10 points in the opening half, with only Jalen Brunson not reaching that plateau. So, Brunson scored 11 points in the first 4:02 of the third quarter.
The second half essentially became garbage time. The Knicks extended to a 37-point lead before losing interest. The reserves got extended minutes again, although with Cup ramifications with point differential, the starters logged more minutes than they might have otherwise.
Karl-Anthony Towns led the way with 23 points and 15 rebounds. In a very physical game, Towns was getting hammered on every play in the paint, getting no-calls more often than not.
Brunson had 21 points in 27 minutes and Miles McBride came off the bench to score 18 points, including 5-7 from behind the arc. In five games since returning from injury, McBride has scored 63 points.
Josh Hart again continued to do it all, registering a triple-double with 11 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists.
The Knicks have now won three in a row and they’re 8-2 in their last 10. They won a home game for the fifth straight time and are 7-2 at MSG. New York is 13-8 overall and it moved within a game of Orlando for third place in the Eastern Conference.