Franz Wagner suffered a foul from Ariel Hukporti during the first quarter, landing awkwardly and immediately showing signs of distress, clutching his left knee. He couldn’t stand or put pressure on it, and after several minutes, he was assisted off the court. Almost instantly, he was ruled out for the game.
With that, the Knicks faced a significant change. Wagner, the Magic’s top scorer this season, had already put up impressive performances against the Knicks, scoring 28 and 37 points in their last two matchups—both victories for Orlando. Before his injury, it seemed he and the Magic could pose a real challenge for the Knicks as they aimed for the playoffs in the Eastern Conference.
However, the severity of his injury shifted things dramatically.
The Knicks, now sitting at 16-7, secured a 106-100 victory at Madison Square Garden on Sunday. They’ve had an impressive home record of 13-1, making them one of the few teams in the NBA with so few home losses, alongside the Thunder. Ironically, their only loss at home was against… the Magic.
Playing shorthanded—without Karl-Anthony Towns due to a calf issue and losing Myles McBride early—Jalen Brunson stepped up, leading the team with 30 points despite struggling with his three-point shooting.
After being down one point at halftime, the Knicks opened the third quarter by scoring the first 13 points, seizing control of the game and maintaining their lead. They then scored the initial seven points of the fourth quarter, stretching their lead to 16.
There was a moment of tension when Coach Mike Brown may have pulled his starters too early, as the Magic narrowed the gap to just six points with only 10.3 seconds remaining. Brown had to reinsert his starters to secure the win.
Josh Hart continued to prove his worth in the starting lineup, finishing with a double-double of 17 points and 12 rebounds, including three successful 3-pointers.
OG Anunoby, returning from a hamstring injury that kept him out for nine games, had a standout performance. He scored 21 points, hitting five of seven from beyond the arc, while also effectively defending Paolo Banchero, who only managed 16 points. Anunoby contributed with seven rebounds, three steals, and a team-high plus-20 rating.
As the Magic attempted to close the gap to nine points late in the fourth quarter, Anunoby scored five consecutive points, dousing any hopes of a comeback.
Mitchell Robinson stepped in for Towns, contributing six points and grabbing 13 rebounds. Hukporti, getting more playing time due to Towns’ absence, made his presence felt on defense with six points, seven rebounds, and three blocks—impressively converting all four of his free throws.
Along with the Heat, Bulls, and Bucks, the Knicks avenged all their previous losses to those teams, with the Celtics being the sole exception.
While Sunday’s game may not have stood out much after the loss of Wagner, it marked another step toward correcting their missteps this season.
