The New York Knicks lost to the Orlando Magic 98-94. The Knicks had this game in their grasp, but let go of the rope in the fourth quarter.
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The New York Knicks lost a low-scoring affair against the Orlando Magic, 98 to 94. The Knicks’ offense never got going, with neither team scoring 30 points in any quarter. New York hit a wall in the fourth, going scoreless for four minutes in the final five and a half minutes of action. The Knicks’ struggles allowed Orlando to take a lead and never look back.
Julius Randle tweaked an ankle in the second quarter and didn’t look the same. Isaiah Hartenstein hit foul trouble, and the reliable wings of Donte DiVincenzo and OG Anunoby made contributions but failed to step up in the absence of New York’s leader, Jalen Brunson. Meanwhile, the second unit lacked a focal point to run the offense through.
This was an ugly loss and a gut check for a team that hasn’t shown the energy that got it through the first half of the season. Let’s examine the loss.
New York’s starters fall apart in the clutch
Miles McBride: 20 PTS (8/17 FG, 4/10 3PT), 1 AST, 2 REB, 2 STL, 1 BLK, 1 TO in 36 mins
Miles McBride continued his hot shooting, scoring his second consecutive career-high. Deuce is getting three-pointers to fall from all over the arc, whether off the dribble, from motion, or while waiting in a corner. He drove the basket infrequently but finished his looks when he got inside.
McBride’s fourth-quarter scoring is especially notable because no one else could make a basket. He knocked down three field goals and provided 7 of the 16 points New York mustered in the quarter. By contrast, none of the other starters made more than one field goal during that portion.
But you’ll note that I’ve only mentioned scoring. McBride didn’t do any playmaking and lacked the gravity to do much other than shoot. He played well but couldn’t replicate Jalen Brunson’s impact. Deuce looks like a strong backup with room for growth more than he looks like a valid starting point guard. He gets a 4 out of 5 for leading the starters in the scoring.
Donte DiVincenzo: 15 PTS (5/12 FG, 2/8 3PT, 3/6 FT), 4 AST, 6 REB, 1 BLK in 24 mins
Donte DiVincenzo hasn’t been bad, but I’d call his recent performances disappointing. Without Jalen Brunson, it was time for one of the starters to step up. I expected DiVo and OG to be the players to take on more. But DiVincenzo’s production is steady rather than elevated.
The Big Ragu hit his usual marks. He hit a pair of threes, whipped a few nice passes, and grabbed rebounds at a decent rate for a guard. But his three-point shooting wasn’t as potent as expected, and his playmaking still came off baseline drives and cuts more than self-creation.
DiVo’s been solid and reliable all season. But we may be seeing the limits of his production. This also might be a case of Thibodeau hampering DiVincenzo’s chances, considering the shooter only played 24 minutes. DiVincenzo gets a 2.5 out of 5 for a decent night.
OG Anunoby: 17 PTS (5/11 FG, 3/4 3PT, 4/4 FT), 4 AST, 2 REB, 2 TO in 44 mins
OG Anunoby hit his usual benchmarks for decent scoring and great defense. But he failed to step up. With Brunson gone, there are a lot of shooting opportunities, but OG only took 11 attempts. He flashed nice passes when he could get downhill, but his straight-line drives didn’t create room to generate looks for himself.
Anunoby found his production in his typical ways. He cut wisely, hit open jumpers, and flashed a nice midrange shot off the dribble. But none of his offense suggests he could step up for more significant production in a bind. He only got two attempts off during New York’s anemic fourth quarter.
OG is a crucial piece of the puzzle, by all means. The Knicks’ defense was spiraling before he arrived. But Anunoby’s not the answer as a second or third option on offense; he hasn’t shown that yet. OG gets a 3 out of 5 for an alright performance.
Julius Randle: 15 PTS (5/18 FG, 2/9 3PT, 3/5 FT), 5 AST, 6 REB in 38 mins
Julius Randle’s night started with struggles against a defense stacked against him. He couldn’t get many shots off without operating in traffic. One of those shots was a putback after an offensive rebound that ended with him rolling an ankle. Randle’s night fell apart after that.
It’s hard to blame Randle for a poor effort because he obviously labored through the action. His lateral movement was affected, and he couldn’t get out to shooters. His scoring had been tough before the injury, and it became entirely reliant on three-pointers after. Even his rebounding vanished, which is a clear sign he was inhibited.
But there’s a second elephant in the room: Randle wasn’t playing well before the injury. I had a note about lazy closeouts written before he landed on Wendell Carter and hurt himself. So, I think his struggles partially indicate Brunson’s importance to the team. Randle gets a 1 out of 5, but we’re giving him a pass because of the injury.
Isaiah Hartenstein: 7 PTS (3/6 FG, 1/1 FT), 3 AST, 12 REB, 2 TO in 29 mins
Isaiah Hartenstein looked great when he could stay on the floor. Hartenstein ran into foul trouble off tacky mistakes like a pair of offensive fouls. He dominated the glass when he could be physical, but the team rebounding collapsed once he was forced to avoid contact.
If foul trouble weren’t enough, Hartenstein frustrated me with over-passing. He received the ball off cuts to the basket frequently, but rarely looked at the rim. Instead, he played the connector, swinging passes to the weak side. Those passes got the team decent looks, but Hartenstein would have been better off taking shots from his proximity to the rim.
I-Hart’s case is similar to OG and DiVincenzo’s. He played well but didn’t step up. But he’s dogged by foul trouble, and the Knicks’ failure to secure defensive rebounds late falls on Hartenstein’s shoulders above anyone else. I-Hart gets a 2.5 out of 5 from what should have been another big night without the fouls.
The Knicks’ second unit struggles to find a hub
Malachi Flynn: 2 PTS (0/4 FG, 0/4 3PT, 2/4 FT) in 12 mins
Malachi Flynn couldn’t replicate his success in Memphis. Flynn’s shot selection left much to be desired, as he repeatedly took pull-up three-pointers for bricks. He couldn’t get into the paint as easily as he did against the Grizzlies.
On the opposite end, Flynn’s defense sticks out like a sore thumb. His size gets picked on even when he defends well. So, I don’t see much future for Flynn with the Knicks, though he flashes some clever ball-handling and passing in bursts.
Quentin Grimes: 8 PTS (3/4 FG, 2/3 3PT), 1 AST, 2 REB, 1 STL, 2 TO in 14 mins
Quentin Grimes played well with his minutes, but I’m back to wishing he’d assert himself more. Grimes hit his looks from three and attacked off the dribble plenty. But he always seemed to make the safe play. He didn’t take any risky shot attempts and never tried to thread a needle on a dime.
The risk-free approach led to an efficient stat-line. But he didn’t produce enough to demand more minutes. That’s unfortunate because I think he had more to contribute, but Tom Thibodeau trusted more aggressive offensive players. Grimes gets a 3 out of 5 simply for scoring efficiency that no one else matched.
Josh Hart: 4 PTS (2/7 FG, 0/2 3PT), 1 AST, 6 REB, 1 TO in 24 mins
Josh Hart’s offense became frustrating by the second half. He gave us a show in the second quarter, leading consecutive fast breaks for easy buckets. Hart looked fantastic in transition, driving the offense through sheer force of will.
But then things slowed down. The Magic defended off Hart in half-court sets, even when he had the ball. They left him plenty of room to shoot without paths to the basket or passing lanes. He couldn’t dribble himself, or others open and wound up taking awkward fadeaways or resetting the plays.
That may be too harsh on Hart, who at least provided some rebounding. He looked for the ball and tried to do things beyond his comfort zone, which is more than I can say for others. But the results were terrible, and his weaknesses seem custom-made for postseason struggles when games grind to a halt. Hart gets a 1 out of 5 for the poor night.
Precious Achiuwa: 6 PTS (2/4 FG, 2/2 FT), 1 AST, 5 REB, 1 BLK, 1 TO in 20 mins
Precious Achiuwa’s box score looks much better than Josh Hart’s. But Achiuwa’s impact on the floor was even worse. Precious displayed terrible hands, mishandling passes from Julius Randle that would have been easy layups. When Achiuwa did catch the ball, he was more likely to miss a layup or throw the ball away than finish.
To Achiuwa’s credit, his defensive presence was fine. He’s mobile enough to cover ground and can switch onto smaller players in a pinch. But his offense was abysmal. Precious gets a 1 out of 5.
Tom Thibodeau needs more creativity
Tom Thibodeau’s rotation doesn’t feel like it changes much, regardless of personnel. Brunson is hurt; IQ and RJ are gone, but the minutes distributions have barely shifted. Thibodeau has just slid other players into the former players’ roles. That worked when OG and McBride replaced RJ and IQ. But it’s not enough to replace the Knicks’ lead ball-handler.
Thibodeau hasn’t expanded the playbook or involved his wings more in creation. He’s still playing Josh Hart extended minutes when non-Jalen Brunson ball-handlers need more space to create in. Everything feels formulaic to a fault, and I think that’s as much to blame as Brunson’s calf or Randle’s ankle.
Closing Thoughts
The past four games have been increasingly frustrating to witness. The Knicks’ effort felt like it waned in the three games prior to this loss against the Magic. I didn’t see energy problems against Orlando, but the team still lacked the urgency to beat a depleted opponent.
It all serves to show us how crucial Jalen Brunson is. His signing turned this team around and gave it a new lease on hope. But now we see how fragile success can be. Unless they bring in another star, this team is always one injury away from lottery level.
The Knicks face the Houston Rockets next, and I’m praying Jalen Brunson is healthy by then. The East is a tightly packed race from play-in territory to homecourt advantage, so every game matters. We’ll see if the Knicks can bounce back or if the concerning displays continue. I’ll see you next time, Knicks fam!
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