NEW YORK, NY — After winning five straight games, the New York Knicks’ undefeated home streak at Madison Square Garden came to an end Monday night as they fell to the Orlando Magic 124–107, in the second game of a back-to-back. Evident that fatigue caught up to New York after their win the night prior, the loss on Monday dropped the Knicks to 7–4 on the season and 7–1 at home, ending the franchise’s best start to a season since 2013.
The organization now holds its breath as they await an update on Jalen Brunson, who exited the game late in the fourth quarter with under two minutes left after appearing to turn his right ankle.
Knicks superstar Jalen Brunson, scoring 31 points, left Monday night’s game vs. the Grizzlies late in the fourth quarter after rolling his right ankle – Image Credit: NBA
It could spell trouble for the Knicks if Brunson is forced to miss an extended period of time, as the team is still learning to play under new head coach Mike Brown. With no clear backup point guard, Brown may face a needle in a haystack situation trying to stabilize the offense without the team’s captain. Since Brunson joined New York, the Knicks are 128–78 with him in the lineup, compared to 9–11 without him.
Coming off a dominant performance the night before against the Grizzlies, fatigue clearly set in early. Orlando which has struggled out of the gate this season, came out with a pace and physicality that New York couldn’t match.
The Magic jumped out to a 15–6 lead within the first five minutes, led by Franz Wagner whom the Knicks had no answer for.
Wagner finished with 28 points and nine rebounds in 37 minutes as Orlando overcame the loss of leading scorer Paolo Banchero, who played just 12 minutes before exiting with a left groin strain. Even without Banchero, a former No. 1 NBA Draft pick in 2022, who was also celebrating his 23rd birthday, the Magic had plenty of firepower to hold off the red hot Knicks.
Desmond Bane added 22 points, and rookie Anthony Black chipped in 17 of his own.
With Monday’s win on ESPN, this marked Orlando’s first regular-season victory on national television (ESPN/TNT/NBC/Prime) prior to New Year’s Day since Dec. 30, 2010—also against the Knicks a 112–103 win on TNT at Amway Center.
The Knicks offense looked flat out of the gate committing eight turnovers in the opening 15 minutes and struggling to generate quality looks. They failed to replicate the sharp ball movement that fueled their prior five-game winning streak. Brunson carried most of the early scoring load, putting up 11 first-quarter points and finishing with 31 points and six assists before exiting the game.
Afterward, Coach Brown told reporters all he knew was that Brunson had turned his right ankle. Knicks beat writer Ian Begley of SNY later reported that Brunson was seen outside the locker room on crutches and in a protective boot, awaiting further evaluation.
Orlando repeatedly attacked mismatches, targeting smaller guards like Miles McBride, Jordan Clarkson, and Brunson in the post. They also frustrated the Knicks bigs, drawing Mitchell Robinson into early foul trouble and neutralizing New York’s interior defense. Jonathan Isaac’s physical play disrupted Karl-Anthony Towns, who grew visibly frustrated with the officiating after several no calls. Towns finished with 15 points (6-for-15 FG, 1-for-4 3PT) and 12 rebounds, recording his 11th straight double-digit rebound game the longest streak to start a season by a Knick since 1970, when it was done by “The Captain” the late Willis Reed.
After the game, Brown didn’t hold back:
“You gotta give them credit they kicked our ass. It’s as simple as that. Against a good team, you have to win the possession game to give yourself a chance. We got our ass kicked in that.”
Winning the possession battle has been a point of emphasis under Brown, and Monday’s stat sheet told the story. The Knicks were out-rebounded 49–37, including 12–10 on the offensive boards a category New York typically dominates.
Brown said he was disappointed that the Knicks blamed the officials when things went wrong in the first half:
“That was disappointing to see. We were the culprits of a lot of what happened out there. I couldn’t even use a challenge because we were fouling.”
The 55-year-old went onto acknowledge the physical challenge of a back-to-back but emphasized that effort, not fatigue, defined the night.
“If we’re a no-excuse team, we’ve got to play the right way and not lay the blame anywhere else but on ourselves. If you leave it all on the floor and lose, fine take the L and move on to the next one.”
The Knicks will look to bounce back Friday night against the Miami Heat at Madison Square Garden, another tough test in their seven-game homestand and a potential playoff preview.
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