Jalen Brunson returned to the Knicks on Friday night and scored a game-high 26 points to lead New York to a wire-to-wire 98-74 victory over the visiting Orlando Magic in a matchup with crucial conference playoff implications East.
With their fourth win in the last 12 games, the Knicks moved a half-game ahead of the Magic — who had their five-game winning streak snapped — into fourth place in the East. The top four teams in each conference have home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
Brunson missed Tuesday’s 116-100 loss to the Atlanta Hawks because of a left knee contusion suffered in the first minute of Sunday’s 107-98 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Precious Achiuwa (15 points, 14 rebounds) had a double-double and added five blocks for the Knicks, who allowed the fewest points in a game since a 103-65 victory over the Washington Wizards on April 13, 2012.
Josh Hart had 19 points while Miles McBride scored 14 points off the bench. Donte DiVincenzo added 11 points for New York, which remains without OG Anunoby (right elbow surgery), Julius Randle (right shoulder) and Mitchell Robinson (left ankle surgery).
Paolo Banchero (23 points, nine rebounds) narrowly missed a double-double for the Magic, whose 74 points were the fewest points by an NBA team in a game this season and the fewest by Orlando since a 108-72 loss to the San Antonio Spurs. on March 13, 2018. Franz Wagner scored 13 points and reserve Jonathan Isaac added 11 points.
Hart and Isaiah Hartenstein combined for all the points in an 8-0 opener by the Knicks, who led by 12 before the Magic pulled within six points.
New York led 31-23 after one quarter and Orlando got within seven points in the second before the Knicks began to take control with a 9-0 run over the final 3:16 to take their biggest lead of the half at 55-39.
The Magic didn’t score from the floor in the first 3:16 of the third quarter. The Knicks led by as many as 26 points in the third and took the win.
–Field Media/Reuters
