Magic Outpaced by Knicks in NBA Cup Group Finale, Keep Wild Card Spot

NEW YORK — Tuesday night in Madison Square Garden, with a national TV audience watching, the Orlando Magic punched first.

Their first three triples of the night dropped and, after barely more than four minutes, the Magic led this Eastern Conference showdown 14-6.

To keep pace with the New York Knicks offense, a unit that Magic coach Jamahl Mosley called “high-paced,” his players would have to convert these good looks and Orlando’s third-ranked defense would have to make a stand.

But the Knicks wouldn’t cooperate. They lit up the Magic for 71 first-half points, led by 31 after three quarters, and coasted to a 121-106 victory.

“I think we didn’t have our usual effort and physicality on defense,” Franz Wagner said postgame. “They got into a rhythm and we really didn’t at any point in the game offensively.”

New York closed out NBA Cup group play 4-0 and advanced to the knockout round of the in-season tournament. Orlando, 3-1, also advanced by virtue of a plus-45 point differential that the Magic preserved by playing starters Wagner and Jalen Suggs for most of the lopsided fourth quarter.

Postgame, both Mosley and Wagner confirmed that they were aware of the NBA Cup implications and what was required to advance to the tournament’s next stage.

“I mean, at some point when you’re down 30, I think you’ve gotta start talking about [it],” Wagner said. “Obviously, you want to play every minute regardless of what the score is, but I think that should definitely add motivation to not let your head hang and just continue to fight.”

With a 31-15 final period, the Magic earned the East’s wild-card spot in the NBA Cup knockout round. They will play the Bucks in Milwaukee either Dec. 10 or 11.

“We earned our way to the quarterfinal,” Wagner said. “Obviously not our best game today, but that’s why you play every minute in the other games. It feels weird even after a game like this to advance, but yeah, that’s just part of it.”

New York scored at least 35 points in the game’s first three quarters. Karl-Anthony Towns’ 23 points led a group of six Knicks in double figures.

The Knicks shot 50.6 percent from the field, made 15 threes, then added 20 more points on a perfect night at the free-throw line.

These games against the NBA’s contenders are all that much tougher for the Magic with All-Star Paolo Banchero watching from the bench.

“You don’t make up for what Paolo does,” Mosley said. “I think you just have to adjust to find the right things to do within the group of young men who are also hungry to step into a different role.”

After 12 wins in 13 games, the Magic blew a tire. They lacked offensive firepower beyond Franz Wagner, who scored 30 points for the sixth time this season. Moe Wagner (20), Jalen Suggs (14), and Cole Anthony (10) eventually reached double digits, but it was far too late in the evening to matter.

“Listen, give New York a ton of credit for how they played. They played hard, they played physical, they played the right way in so many ways,” Mosley said. “But ultimately, also, this wasn’t Orlando Magic-style basketball. It was a stinker. We’ll sit with that, then we’ll move on and we’ve got to take care of Philly tomorrow.”

New York scored 32 points off Magic turnovers and Orlando trailed by as much as 37 in the second half.

Shortly before tipoff, Orlando learned it would be without starting center Goga Bitadze. He was a late scratch with a right ankle sprain. Rookie wing Tristan da Silva started in his place.

Mosley said postgame that Bitadze suffered the injury during his pregame shooting slot. His status will be one to monitor over the remainder of the team’s road trip.

The Magic continue their five-game road trip with the second leg of a back-to-back Wednesday night in Philadelphia against the 76ers. Tipoff is 7:30 p.m at the Wells Fargo Center.

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