Magic lose to Knicks, but advance in NBA Cup to face Bucks

NEW YORK — Karl-Anthony Towns had 23 points and 15 rebounds, Jalen Brunson scored 21 points, and the New York Knicks defeated the Orlando Magic 121-106 on Tuesday to reach the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup.

New York went 4-0 in East Group A and will host Atlanta on Dec. 11. Orlando (3-1) advanced as the East wild card on point differential and will travel to Milwaukee.

Mikal Bridges had 19 points and Josh Hart added 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Knicks, who have won their past three games and eight of their last 10.

Franz Wagner finished with 30 points, while Moe Wagner had 20 off the bench for the Magic, who had their six-game winning streak snapped.

The Magic needed only to lose by no more than 37 points to advance via tiebreaker because of the points differential.

New York led by 36-26 at the end of the first quarter and led by as many as 22 points in the second before going into the half with a 71-51 lead.

Takeaways

Magic: Orlando concluded its five-day stay in the Big Apple by going 2-1 against the city’s two clubs. The Magic won at Brooklyn last Friday night and Sunday afternoon. The Magic will return to New York to face the Knicks on Jan. 6.

Knicks: All five starters scored in double figures. OG Anunoby had 16 points. Deuce McBride scored 18 off the bench.

Key Moment

The Knicks led by 31 after three quarters, putting the Magic in danger of failing to advance, before Orlando outscored a New York squad of mostly backups 31-15 in the fourth.

Key Stat

Orlando has made at least one 3-pointer in 1,398 games dating back to March 17, 2007. It’s the fifth-longest streak in NBA history.