The Knicks beat the Orlando Magic, 132-120, on Saturday night in Las Vegas to move on to the NBA Cup Finals for the first time.
Here are the takeaways…
— Things got off to a fast start in this one as both teams shot over 60 percent from the field in the first quarter which featured nine lead changes. Both squads did most of their damage in the paint early on with guys running up and down the court for easy transition buckets or creating their own shot in the mid-range.
— In fact, New York only made two threes (on eight attempts) in the opening 12 minutes — both by OG Anunoby and one with 4.8 seconds left in the quarter — but still scored 33 points. However, the Magic, led by Jalen Suggs, did even better and put up 36 points.
— Suggs continued to lead Orlando in the second quarter and scored a career-high 25 points in the first half, although he seemed to injure himself slightly just before the break. The Magic needed every bit of it, too, because the rest of the team’s hot shooting from the first quarter largely disappeared as they shot under 40 percent in the second, although they still scored 28 points.
— The Knicks, particularly Jalen Brunson, took advantage of Orlando’s poor shooting and continued to lean on points in the paint to get it done, taking the lead by doing whatever they wanted near the basket. From Brunson to Mikal Bridges to even Tyler Kolek, everybody got involved. Still, it was Brunson who was matching Suggs’ offensive output with 24 of his own in the first half.
— After another quarter shooting over 60 percent from the field and scoring 38 points, New York went into halftime with a 71-64 lead.
— Needing help from players not named Suggs and no Franz Wagner in the lineup, Paolo Banchero got more involved out of the gates after a quiet first half and helped the Magic get closer. After tying it, Orlando even took the lead on Desmond Bane two-pointer with 5:24 left in the quarter that made it 87-85 and forced head coach Mike Brown to call a timeout.
— The Knicks regrouped after the pause and closed out the quarter on a 14-3 run to be up eight going into the fourth quarter.
— With a trip to the NBA Cup Finals on the line, New York put Orlando away in the final frame, never allowing the Magic to get back into the game. Karl-Anthony Towns had 10 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter and put the exclamation point of a convincing win with a dunk in the final seconds.
— Brunson went for a game-high 40 points on 16-for-27 from the field and added eight assists, four rebounds and a steal. Every other Knicks starter finished with double-digit points as the team shot 61 percent from the floor.
— With Josh Hart once again in the starting lineup, New York improved to 9-1 this season with him as a starter compared to 9-6 with Hart coming off the bench.
— After his phenomenal first half, Suggs disappeared in the second half and scored just one point as the injury sustained likely played a role.
Game MVP: Jalen Brunson
Brunson was doing whatever he wanted all game, getting to his spots and knocking down shot after shot from start to finish.
Highlights
What’s next
The Knicks will play the winner of the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Cup Finals on Tuesday, Dec. 16 at 8:30 p.m. in Las Vegas.
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