Knicks sleepwalk through another loss at MSG

The Knicks let the Magic win another game in Madison Square Garden

The Orlando Magic are one of the worst teams in the NBA. They have a young roster that is in the middle of a full rebuild. Someone should tell the New York Knicks that they are supposed to beat teams like that.

The Magic completed a Madison Square Garden sweep on Wednesday night. Both teams struggled to score, but it was the youth of Orlando making enough plays late to seal the deal.

The Knicks were a playoff team last season and came into this year as a popular pick to return. They don’t look anything like the team that finished fourth in the Eastern Conference a year ago.

All five Magic starters scored in double figures and Terrence Ross added a game-high 19 points off the bench. His reputation as a Knick-killer continues to grow. Orlando escaped MSG with a 104-98 win

As for the Knicks, what is going on with the top dogs? RJ Barrett was 7-for-19 from the field and 0-for-7 from three. Julius Randle continues to settle for the toughest looks that are easiest to get. He took 11 shots, 10 of which were three-pointers. The All-Star didn’t even attempt a shot in the fourth quarter.

Randle refuses to attack defenses inside and Tom Thibodeau isn’t doing enough to create opportunities for him to get downhill. Barrett, at the very least, is attacking the basket. His struggles look more like a case of shots simply not falling rather than being completely out of sync.

Knowing how this team operates, the Knicks are probably going to come out and beat the Houston Rockets on Saturday night. Sure, they are underperforming lofty preseason expectations, but they aren’t a complete dumpster fire — yet.

Brutal Knicks Schedule

Although New York is still above .500, that could change in the blink of an eye. After the last-place Rockets, the Knicks play seven potential playoff teams — Bulls (twice), Lakers, Suns, Hawks, Nets, and Nuggets.

Five of the Knicks’ upcoming eight games are at home, which would normally be positive. But there is no MSG homecourt advantage lately. New York is 3-5 at home this year.

The Knicks have a tendency to play down to their competition. The Magic have made that abundantly clear. Maybe the Knicks can play up to their competition in this upcoming seven-game stretch, but don’t hold your breath.