The New York Knicks looked awful without Carmelo Anthony before the bench led them on a fourth-quarter rally in a win vs. the Magic.
- New York Knicks 113 (26-38)
- Orlando Magic 105 (23-41)
- NBA, Final, Box Score
- Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
The New York Knicks were outscored 92 to 85 in the first three quarters of Monday’s win against the Orlando Magic. With Carmelo Anthony sitting out due to a sore left knee, the Knicks looked overmatched on offense.
Then Kyle O’Quinn entered the game—for the first time—with less than a minute left in the third quarter. The 26-year-old led a ragtag unit of Knicks on a 19 to 4 run to start the fourth quarter.
O’Quinn played the final 12 minutes and posted 11 points and eight rebounds. O’Quinn wasn’t the only bench player who stepped it up against Orlando.
Chasson Randle didn’t shoot the ball well (2 of 7 for 7 points), but the Knicks were a plus-27 in the 26 minutes he was on the floor. With New York’s season going down the drain, we’ll likely see a lot of Randle down the stretch.
Randle overshadowed Ron Baker in the win. Baker played only 17 minutes and posted zero points.
Kristaps Porzingis was 6 of 12 with 14 points in 30 minutes. The Knicks were able to beat a team on the road without Carmelo Anthony and Porzingis only scoring 14 points. Yeah, the Magic really stink.
Key Player
Derrick Rose was just 2 of 9 from the floor for 12 points. The team was minus-23 with him on the floor. He sat the entire fourth quarter.
Key Stat
The Knicks were 27 of 28 from the free throw line. The team’s 24th in free throws made per game (16.9) and 14th in free throw percentage (.781) this season.