ORLANDO — With three days off after a humiliating loss to the Hawks and Trae Young smiling at the MSG logo, Sunday night was an opportunity for the Knicks to show some heart.
They responded with a 100-91 victory in a physical battle, and while the performance was chippy, choppy and messy, it was enough to get coach Tom Thibodeau's team back on a better track.
Win against Magic on December 15th. AP
The Magic (17-11) are missing two of their best players, Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, due to injuries.
However, they were energetic and went undefeated at home with a 10-0 record.
The Knicks (16-10) were much better on Sunday.
Behind the All-Star duo of point guard and center, Knicks fans gathered around the Kia Center to celebrate as they led for the final 34 minutes and finally pulled away in the fourth quarter.
Jalen Brunson, whose step-back 3-pointer with eight minutes left felt like the biggest shot of the night, led the team with 31 points on 8-of-18 shooting and 11-of-14 from the stripe. Despite his success, he frequently appeared on the line.
Karl-Anthony Towns had 22 points and 22 rebounds in 43 minutes.
Mikal Bridges also had a good showing with 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting.
The heated battle included a flagrant foul by Towns and double technicals for Cam Payne and Wendell Carter Jr. after an innocuous scuffle that spilled over to the Knicks bench.
The refs were letting them play most of the time.
