Magic’s Dec. 3 Game vs. Knicks Moved Back to TNT

ORLANDO, Fla. – The Orlando Magic’s Tuesday, December 3 matchup with the New York Knicks in the Emirates NBA Cup will again be a national television broadcast, the NBA announced on Sunday evening.

That reverses a decision made 11 days ago on November 13, when the league office sent out a release stating TNT – the original broadcast partner for the game – would showcase the Memphis Grizzlies at Dallas Mavericks in place of Orlando at New York.

Now, the Magic-Knicks contest returns to its original TV designation: Tuesday, December 3 at 7:30 p.m. ET on TNT, live from Madison Square Garden.

Counting the Nov. 1 game at Cleveland, Orlando is now slated to have all five of its original national TV games for this season.

The contest is shaping up to have massive implications for the NBA Cup. Through two Cup group play games, Orlando and New York sit one-two in the standings of East Group A. Each team is 2-0 in the competition thus far, but the Magic sit atop the group based on point differential.

With Dec. 3 being the final “Cup Night” before the bracket is finalized with the eight teams who will qualify for the knockout rounds, the winner of the Magic-Knicks game could very well set up to crown the group’s champion.

Dallas and Memphis are 2-1 and 0-2 in West Group C, but Golden State became the first team to clinch a spot in the knockout round when its victory over New Orleans moved them to 3-0 and secured them the group’s top spot. They’d already defeated both Dallas and Memphis in their two prior Cup games.

One team from each conference advances to the knockout round as a wild card, awarded to the highest-placing non-group-winning team. The Knicks currently own the East’s wild card, ahead of Detroit (also 2-0) again based on point differential.

Orlando plays at Brooklyn and New York plays at Charlotte in Cup group play in each team’s third Cup group game on Black Friday,

The original decision to move the Magic-Knicks game off of national TV may have been a reactionary move due to the injury of Paolo Banchero, who was on a possible All-NBA track before a torn right oblique sidelined the 2022 No. 1 overall pick. Since picking up the injury Oct. 30 at Chicago, he’s been out of action for 12 consecutive games at time of writing.

In his absence, fourth-year forward Franz Wagner has filled the No. 1 role superbly. In November, Wagner is averaging 25.8 points, 6.4 rebounds and 6.4 assists while shooting 46.4 percent from the field and 34.5 percent from three.

And perhaps more notably, the Magic have kept winning with their superstar out of action. Winners of eight of their last nine contests, Orlando is 8-5 since Banchero went down. At 11-7, they sit third in the Eastern Conference, three games behind Boston and 5.5 behind Cleveland in the regular season standings. The Knicks, 9-7 at time of writing, are a game behind Orlando in fourth.

It should be noted that New York, along with Chicago and Los Angeles, is one of the NBA’s biggest markets and has multiple All-Star and All-NBA caliber players on its roster. Both Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson are averaging over 25 points a game, with Towns averaging 12.5 rebounds and Brunson 7.4 assists to go along with their volume scoring.

The league reversing its decision not only recognizes the magnitude of the NBA Cup implications, but is a sign that the league is taking notice of two teams who have spent most, if not all of the first quarter of the season figuring themselves out. The Knicks’ trade for Towns and the Magic’s dealing with Banchero’s injury have forced early season adjustments.

But as both teams round into shape, their first matchup this season will be seen by a national TV audience.

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