Magic’s NBA Cup game vs. Knicks may be biggest matchup of the season so far

The 2024-25 season has not been easy for the Orlando Magic so far. Only 21 games into the season, the team already had to deal with a lot of challenges. The biggest challenge is undoubtedly Paolo Banchero’s injury, which will likely keep him out until around Christmas. On top of that, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, the Magic’s big offseason signing, took some time to get his 3-point shot going, Wendell Carter Jr. missed time as well, and Cole Anthony has been struggling. 

Nevertheless, the Magic are still sitting in third place in the Eastern Conference behind just the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Boston Celtics. They are also currently leading their group in the Emirates NBA Cup. 

The NBA Cup is designed to add meaningful and competitive games to a stretch of the NBA season that can be a little slow at times. Last season, it was also an opportunity for the Indiana Pacers to establish themselves as one of the young up-and-coming teams in the league. The Magic already did that when they made a somewhat surprising playoff appearance last season, but the NBA Cup is another chance for the Magic to prove they can be a legitimate threat in the Eastern Conference. 

Four teams from each conference will move past the group stage and into the knockout rounds. The Magic have a good chance to be one of those teams. Three teams from their group—the Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets, and Charlotte Hornets—are already eliminated. The Magic and Knicks have both won all three NBA Cup games they played so far. Their matchup on Tuesday will decide the winner of East Group A, but that is not the only reason it is a big game. 

The NBA Cup was always a chance for the Magic to prove themselves. They were drawn into a seemingly competitive group with the Knicks and 76ers and landed a nationally televised game against New York. Things did not go exactly as planned. 

The 76ers did not end up being as competitive as imagined when they signed Paul George in the offseason, and when Banchero first suffered his injury, it seemed the Magic’s chances to win their group were eliminated already. After all, the Magic lost their first four games without Banchero and did not look like a competitive team. 

In a somewhat surprising move, the league decided to not have the Magic and Knicks play on national TV after all and gave the game to the Dallas Mavericks and Memphis Grizzlies instead. By now, the Magic have turned things around, winning 11 of their last 12 games, behind Franz Wagner’s All-Star-like play. Wagner has taken his game to another level, the Magic’s defense is rolling, Carter Jr. is back, and Caldwell-Pope has found his shot. The Magic are in great shape, and the game against the Knicks has big implications for the NBA Cup standings. 

So, the league reversed its decision and put the Magic’s final game of the group stage back on TNT. The fact that the Magic managed to play well enough to convince the NBA to put them back on TNT without Paolo Banchero is already a win in itself. But now that the game will be on national TV again, the Magic must prove that the league made the right decision. 

Even without their biggest star, the Magic must show that they are one of the best young teams in the league and belong on the big stage. The Magic have only played one game on national TV this season and are not a team that receives much coverage outside Orlando. The team’s matchup against the Knicks is a chance to work toward changing that, and that makes it arguably the most important game of the Magic’s season so far.