ORLANDO, Fla. — It started early in the first quarter, the “MVP” chants for Jalen Brunson.
Paolo Banchero, an All-Star playing in his home arena, turned to the loudest section and said, not subtly, “shut up.”
But in those beginning moments, Banchero and the Magic could do nothing to stop them. Brunson was fantastic with 20 of his 33 points in the opening quarter.
He was crossing over and changing direction, draining shots and doing whatever he pleased while sporting one of his determined game faces.
The problem, which was predictable given the Knicks’ injury predicament, was that Brunson had no help. None.
And it quickly caught up to the reeling Knicks in Wednesday’s 118-100 loss to the Magic, their season-high fourth straight defeat heading into the All-Star break.
The Knicks were missing six of their top eight players, with an injury report longer than a Disney World line.
Donte DiVincenzo (sore hamstring) and Bojan Bogdanovic (sore calf) became the latest to join.
The circumstances left Alec Burks as the starting point guard and the Knicks’ best offensive player after Brunson. It wasn’t a winning formula.
After Brunson’s early explosion lifted the Knicks to a 12-point lead, the bench — featuring Taj Gibson and Jacob Toppin — was a disaster.
It was outscored by 20 points in about a six-minute stretch of the second quarter. The Knicks (33-22) never recovered. It turned into a Valentine’s Day massacre.
Outside of Brunson, who was understandably hounded by the Magic, the Knicks shot just 38 percent. Orlando begged the other Knicks to score and nobody stepped up.
Precious Achiuwa was the lone other positive with 22 points and 14 rebounds.
Burks, the new acquisition but old face from the Pistons, again shot miserably (5-for-16). He went 6-for-24 in his two games before the break.
The Knicks were outscored by 28 points in his 30 minutes Wednesday.
Tom Thibodeau even waved the white flag early by removing Brunson for good with 8:21 left.
Banchero scored 36 points and ultimately shut up the Knicks fans invading the Kia Center.
The Magic (30-25) have won all three of their matchups this season against the Knicks, who are welcoming the All-Star break like Winnie the Pooh greets honey.
The assumption is the eight-day rest will at least bring back DiVincenzo, Bogdanovic and Isaiah Hartenstein. The recovery timelines of Julius Randle, OG Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson are more dicey and unpredictable.
The Knicks need them ASAP.
Credit: Source link
