Knicks: Good news and bad news from 100-91 win over Magic

The New York Knicks defeated a shorthanded Orlando Magic squad for the second time this month, this time by a score of 100-91 Sunday. New York bounces back from a tough loss at home and improves to 16-10 while the Magic fall to 17-11.

Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns were terrific against the Magic

The offensive attack was led by Jalen Brunson, who finished with 31 points and five assists. He also shot 8-for-18 from the floor and 4-for-8 from three-point range.

Brunson needed a game like this after struggling mightily against the Atlanta Hawks earlier this week. Orlando had no answer for him, as he was getting to his spots with ease and turned out the shooting struggles he endured against the Hawks.

Towns also bounced back with yet another double-double, as he scored 22 points and grabbed a season-high 22 rebounds. He also dished five assists and knocked down all seven of his free throws.

The pair continue to be one of the top duos in the NBA this season, with their offensive prowess carrying the Knicks through the early part of the season.

Mikal Bridges was brilliant on both ends

Mikal Bridges continued his recent stretch of strong performances against Orlando on Sunday, as he was getting the job done on both ends of the floor and resembled the type of player they traded for in the summer.

Offensively, he finished with 17 points, shot 7-for-11 from the field, and knocked down one three-pointer. He showcased his creativity with the ball by scoring in many different ways, making nice drives to the basket with the ball while also being effective off the ball.

Bridges also shined defensively for the Knicks with the tall task of guarding Magic guard Jalen Suggs. Bridges gave Suggs trouble all night, as the Orlando guard finished with just nine points on 4-for-19 shooting from the floor and 1-for-5 from three.

His impact defensively was key to the Knicks’ overall success on that end of the floor on Sunday. The Magic, who entered the game as the worst three-point shooting team in the league, continued that alarming trend as they shot just 30% from beyond the arc.

The Knicks struggled with turnovers early

New York has generally been good at protecting the basketball this season, but they struggled to pass cleanly against a tough Magic defense. They turned the ball over 17 times on Sunday, which is much higher than their season average of 11.8 entering the game.

They committed 11 of those turnovers in the first half, though they cleaned it up in the second half with just six turnovers. The cleaner basketball allowed them to score more, and they found much better looks in the later portion of the game compared to the early part.

Overview

The Knicks got a much-needed bounce-back win after a disappointing loss at home earlier this week. They will now have a few days off before taking on the Minnesota Timberwolves on the road on Thursday, which will be the first regular season matchup since the Towns trade in the offseason.