(Photo credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images)
The Orlando Magic look to complete a sweep of their three-game homestand on Saturday, welcoming a New York Knicks team in the middle of a five-game road trip.
Orlando is 5-1 over its past six games, with defeats of the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday and Thursday. The Magic were especially dominant defensively against the Clippers, forcing them into 21 turnovers that Orlando converted into 33 points.
The Magic also parlayed takeaways into fast-break opportunities, scoring a season-high 41 breakaway points.
‘Stops to get out and run,’ Orlando coach Jamahl Mosley said, emphasizing he wants that to be a consistent identity for the Magic going forward. ‘That’s the point of our defense. We talk about the running game, but it only comes after you get the stops; not frantic, but the right way. Let your defense create your offense.’
Mosley also offered praise for Jalen Suggs, who has come alive amid Orlando’s recent surge with strong all-around performances. He is averaging 14.5 points, 5.3 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game in November.
Against the Clippers, Suggs was 5-of-9 shooting from 3-point range en route to a season-high 23 points, dished seven assists and came away with a pair of steals in one of his best performances of the season. His scoring pop helped the Magic endure the continued absence of Paolo Banchero, who missed his fourth consecutive game due to a groin injury.
Banchero, who is averaging 21.7 points, 8.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game on the season, last played in Orlando’s 124-107 win at New York on Nov. 12.
Banchero sustained the injury that continues to sideline him during that meeting and was limited to 12 minutes. Franz Wagner picked up the slack with 28 points and nine rebounds, while Desmond Bane added 22 points, eight assists and six rebounds.
Jalen Brunson scored 31 points, part of the two-time All-NBA guard’s 28.0 points per game output on the season. He missed the next two games due to an ankle injury — a pair of matchups with Miami, which the Knicks split — but returned to the lineup to score 28 points in a 113-111 win at Dallas on Wednesday.
Landry Shamet was the Knicks’ hero in that one, knocking down a go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:02 left in regulation and another with 31 seconds to go that broke a 109-109 stalemate.
Shamet’s performance highlighted why first-year Knicks coach Mike Brown said he was intent on the eight-season veteran being a key contributor in 2025-26.
‘I was a big fan of him, watching (him) play last year and even prior,’ Brown told the New York Post. ‘For me, having him a part of this team completed the group. Now we have a lot of diverse guys. He’s just doing, in my opinion, what he’s capable of doing.’
Shamet is one of eight Knicks scoring at least nine points per game in a minimum of 12 appearances this season. His 9.9 clip places him just outside the six Knicks averaging in double figures, led by Brunson and followed by Karl-Anthony Towns (21.5).
–Field Level Media
