In the end, the Knicks couldn't get over Jalen Brunson's absence and Julius Randle's shooting night, which was as cold as the weather in Buffalo.
Despite Miles McBride trying to get back on track and OG Anunoby dropping 17 points, a lack of creativity on the offensive line led to the Knicks losing 98-94 to the Magic on MLK Day in the closing stages. I lost my destiny.
The Knicks (23-17) led for much of the game, but scored just one point in six minutes of the fourth quarter, including four minutes of zero points.
That broke the Knicks' back.
Randle finished a dismal 15 points on 5-of-18 shooting. Magic power forward Paolo Banchero responded with 20 points on 9-of-19 shooting.
McBride got the start again, scoring a team-high 20 points in 36 minutes.
Brunson missed his second straight game with a calf bruise sustained in Thursday's game against Dallas.
The Knicks won the first game without Brunson, but the Magic (22-18) will be a much tougher opponent, even though they defeated the woefully undermanned Grizzlies on Saturday.
Still, the Knicks led from late in the second quarter until 3:43 left in the fourth, right in the middle of New York's freezing cold.
The Magic's top player, Franz Wagner, also missed six straight games with an ankle injury.
Wagner dropped 32 points in the Magic's only previous game of the season, against the Knicks, which Orlando won by nine points in late December.
Brunson warmed up on Monday but was ruled out before tipoff.
He is considered day-ready and could return for Wednesday's home game against the Rockets.
Without Brunson on the court, the Magic crowded Randle every time he dribbled near the paint (15 points), preventing him from getting to the rim.
He forced some shots but was ineffective, scoring just four points in the first half on 1-of-8 shooting (including 0-of-3 from beyond the arc).
The Knicks, who played more games on MLK Day than any other NBA team, fell to 23-15 on the holiday.
