Magic Provide Test for Knicks

The New York Knicks face arguably the biggest game of their season as they take on the Orlando Magic to decide the winner of East Group A in the Emirates NBA Cup.

Both the Knicks and Magic sit behind the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics in their own tier in the Eastern Conference, but the winner of this game could earn an edge over the other.

The Magic have been playing without All-Star Paolo Banchero for a month, but Orlando has won 12 of 17 games without him. The main reason behind that is the resurgence of fourth-year pro Franz Wagner, who is beginning to prove why the Magic signed him to a max contract over the offseason.

Another reason behind the Magic’s success is their defense. Orlando has the third-best defensive rating in the NBA behind the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets, and their length at every position has tortured teams all year long.

The Magic have been in New York since Thursday after beating the Brooklyn Nets twice at the Barclays Center since Thanksgiving, so travel won’t be an issue for them going into the matchup.

In order for the Knicks to beat the Magic, they will have to make their shots and keep their turnovers to a minimum. The Magic love forcing turnovers and have one of the deadliest defensive backcourts in the NBA in Jalen Suggs and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

The game is winnable for the Knicks, but they cannot lallygag like they did against the Charlotte Hornets in their last NBA Cup game. They have to come out aggressive like they did in their win against the New Orleans Pelicans and keep their foot on the gas for all four quarters.

Tipoff between the Magic and Knicks is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday. The game can be watched on TNT.

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