It's often said that defense wins championships, but advancing to the NBA Cup was all about the “O” at the top.
The Knicks and their No. 1-ranked offense defeated the Magic's vaunted defense 121-106 on Tuesday night against MSG, clinching first place in Group A and a berth in the playoffs.
The Knicks (13-8) had no mathematical chance of earning a wild-card spot, so they faced what amounted to an elimination game against the league's most popular team. They responded with a dominant performance, building a big win early on and sealing it with Mikal Bridges' buzzer-beating bank shot to take a 20-point advantage into the first half.
“We were very unselfish,” said Josh Hart, who had a triple-double with 13 rebounds. “It's a good win.”
The scoring was balanced and served as a shining example of the Knicks' humming offense, which finished the night as the most efficient team in the NBA with the highest points per possession. The beatdown got so bad that the Knicks had to hit the brakes due to the score difference.
If they won by 37 points or more, they would have faced the Celtics in the quarterfinals. Instead, they fell behind by 16 points in the final six minutes and will face the Hawks in the quarterfinals next week.
“I knew that if we had won by 37 points or more…we'd have no idea,” Hart said sarcastically. “I think we're just trying to play our best until the final whistle.”
Tom Thibodeau was coy when asked about the point spread manipulation.
“I was worried about Charlotte.” [the next regular-season game on Thursday]” said the coach.
Karl-Anthony Towns contributed 23 points and 15 rebounds in Orlando's frontcourt, which was missing injured Paolo Banchero and Goga Bitadze.
His chippy fight with Moe Wagner became an explosive side story. Jalen Brunson dropped 21 points in just 26 minutes of work. Bridges followed up his rejuvenation two nights ago with a solid effort, scoring 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting.
OG Anunoby (7-for-10, 18 points) was hitting his shots again after a sluggish two games.
Five players on the Knicks scored in double figures in the first half alone.
The NBA Cup “bred out the best in all of us,” Towns said.
The Magic (15-8), the East's top defensive team, had their winning streak stopped at six games and lost for the second time in their last 14 games.
Offensively, they couldn't help Franz Wagner, who scored 20 of his team's 51 points in the first half.
Wagner, an up-and-coming superstar, finished 30th.
But he was isolated with the Magic, and the defense didn't have an answer for the Knicks, who will advance to the semifinals in Vegas (Dec. 14) if they beat the Hawks on Wednesday.
Despite the loss, the Magic advanced to the NBA Cup quarterfinals as a wild card. They will play the Bucks.
The Knicks are probably the favorites to advance to the Finals, especially after Tuesday's dominant performance.
“I love how unselfish we are,” Thibodeau said after his team recorded 30 assists. “I thought we made a great read and when we got into the paint, we made the extra pass to create some good space and we made the cut and it went downhill.
“When we do that, we all get into a rhythm and find good shots. We're creating good shots for each other. And it's all about everyone working together.”
