Injury-Riddled Magic Stun Knicks for Upset Victory on the Road

What a difference 24 hours can make.

The injury-decimated Orlando Magic, playing the second of back-to-back games after a ugly home loss to the Utah Jazz, on Monday won a prizefight with the New York Knicks in Madison Square Garden.

By knocking off the Knicks 103-94, Orlando improved to 22-16 this season and pulled within 2.5 games of New York in the Eastern Conference standings.

The Magic’s defense made sure nothing came easy for the NBA’s 3rd-ranked offense, holding the Knicks to their lowest point total this season.

New York entered the game shooting 38.2 percent from beyond the 3-point arc, but Orlando limited the Knicks to just 4-of-22 from three, including 1-7 in the second half.

The lead changed hands nine times in the first half until Jett Howard’s turnaround triple gave the Magic a 53-51 advantage at the halftime horn. Orlando never trailed again. For every New York rally, the Magic had the big shots to counter. That poise carried the Magic to one of their best wins.

The Magic also salvaged a win in the finale of the four-game series with the Knicks.

Between the first matchup on Dec. 3 and Monday’s contest, only 34 days passed. But with each matchup, the availability of Orlando’s top scorers dwindled.

Cole Anthony started in Suggs’ place for the second consecutive game, leading the Magic’s scoring with 24 points. His family was in attendance in the Garden.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope finished with 15 points and three of the Magic’s 11 made triples (11-of-31.)

With Karl-Anthony Towns sidelined due to a knee issue, Orlando had a size advantage. Wendell Carter Jr. posted a season-high 19 points off the bench — nine in the fourth quarter. Jonathan Isaac scored 13 points and grabbed nine rebounds and Goga Bitadze had six points, eight rebounds and four assists.

As a team, eight of the 10 players scored at least six points. Orlando shot 50% from the field and committed fewer turnovers than New York.

They have a stunning win to show for it.

The Magic return home for a three-game homestand, which begins with the first leg of a back-to-back on Thursday evening against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Tipoff is 7 p.m. ET at the Kia Center.

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