Orlando Magic drop home opener to New York Knicks, 121-96
Orlando had hoped for a home-court advantage when the Magic took to the floor of Amway Center for the first time this season Friday night against New York. But it was the Knicks who capitalized on the energy brought by a large contingent of New York fans as they cruised to a 121-96 blowout win.
It was the second straight double-digit loss for the Magic (0-2), who led 9-6 before falling behind 36-16 after the first quarter. New York’s biggest lead was 34 points midway through the second half.
“We got spread out a little too much tonight,” said Magic coach Jamahl Mosley. “Early on, they [Knicks] were making that extra pass and they were knocking shots down.”
The Magic cut the lead to 19 with 4:19 left in the third quarter but the Knicks (2-0) were able to push their advantage back to 22 points heading into the fourth.
“I think we showed some fight in the third quarter,” said center Mo Bamba. “But we just can’t have long stretches of bad basketball, quite frankly. We’ve got to continue to kick the ball. We’ve got to continue to move the ball and just trust one another.”
Rookie forward Franz Wagner scored 8 of his team-high 16 points in the third period.
Orlando struggled to get much going offensively, shooting 33 of 83 (39.8%) from the floor. It was the second consecutive game in which the Magic shot less than 40%.
Bamba picked up where he left off in the season-opening loss at San Antonio, hitting a pair of 3-pointers to give Orlando a 9-6 lead. But the Knicks went on a series of runs, including a 16-0 spurt to end the first quarter. He finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
“I think we made a lot of one would call juvenile mistakes,” said Bamba. “We just kept losing the shooters. We know Evan [Fournier] personally. We know [Alec] Burks wants to shoot it. We need to do a better job of knowing personnel and knowing tendencies.”
New York connected on a franchise-record 24 3-pointers, including four apiece for Derrick Rose, Immanuel Quickley, Fournier and Burks.
Orlando continued to struggle with turnovers, finishing with 19.
Jalen Suggs, who struggled in his NBA debut against the Spurs, had two early buckets along with an assist and a steal through the first six minutes of the first quarter. The rookie finished with 14 points, 8 assists, 7 rebounds and 2 steals.
Despite another blowout loss, Mosley was encouraged by the heart and hustle his team displayed even late in the game, particularly by Wendell Carter Jr., who dove for a loose ball in the closing seconds of the game.
“If we want to be the team that we’re trying to become and grow and build and develop and get guys better and fight every single night, you have to have that guy diving on the floor for those loose basketballs no matter what, until the horn goes off,” said Mosley. “Those are the plays that we have to continue to make. We have to make them early to make sure that’s who we are becoming.”
Former Magic guard Fournier, who had 32 points in the Knicks’ opening win against Boston, scored 18 points. He was one of seven players to score in double digits for New York, who were led by Julius Randle’s 21 points and 10 rebounds.
The Magic get another shot at the Knicks when they travel to New York for a Sunday night showdown at Madison Square Garden.
This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Matt Murschel at mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com or follow him on Twitter at @osmattmurschel.
