Knicks rout Magic to extend winning streak to 6 games

Those tactics aren’t going to work anymore, Orlando. The Knicks have your number.

The short-handed Magic, missing three of their top scorers — Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Moritz Wagner — leaned on their trademark physicality, a gritty style of play that has kept them competitive despite their depleted roster. Orlando’s defense regularly holds opponents close to or below 100 points, a formula that’s helped them scrape together wins despite a lack of offensive firepower.

But that formula continues to fall short against the Knicks. On Friday night, New York cruised to a 108-85 victory at Amway Center, securing a 3-0 season series lead over their conference foe. The Knicks didn’t need the 3-ball to dominate, shooting just 4 of 15 from beyond the arc. Instead, they flipped Orlando’s physicality against them, earning 34 trips to the free-throw line and converting 24 of them.

They also won without a dominant performance from Karl-Anthony Towns, who posted 22 points and 22 rebounds in their first matchup but was mired in foul trouble on Friday, finishing with 16 points and eight boards.

The Knicks, however, have proven they can win in different ways. Jalen Brunson delivered a standout performance with 26 points and nine assists, and Mikal Bridges added 17 points on 50% shooting from the field, while Josh Hart chipped in 23 points and 13 rebounds, helping New York improve to 21-10 on the season and claim their 16th victory in their last 20 games.

“Yeah, hopefully that helps ratings. Ain’t that why ratings are down — ’cause we shoot too many threes?” Hart quipped in his postgame interview. “That’s the special thing about this team: we can win games even when we don’t shoot the ball well.”

The Magic had their moments, fueled by a hot start from Jalen Suggs, who scored 27 points on 10-of-20 shooting. But foul trouble limited Suggs to just 26 minutes, and no other Magic player scored more than 14 points. Orlando led 63-62 with 6:23 left in the third quarter before Suggs picked up his fourth foul. The Knicks seized the opportunity, closing the quarter on a 14-5 run and then burying the Magic with a 32-17 fourth-quarter surge.

“Obviously he’s a terrific defender, but he’s very aggressive,” Hart said of Suggs. “And sometimes we use that aggression against him to get him in foul trouble. We were able to do that.”

The Knicks’ bench provided critical support, contributing 18 points. Landry Shamet scored seven, Miles McBride added five and Precious Achiuwa posted six points and six rebounds while logging extended minutes.

The win marks six straight for the Knicks, who have beaten the Minnesota Timberwolves, Toronto Raptors, San Antonio Spurs, New Orleans Pelicans and now, the Magic twice during this run.

They now turn their focus to the second leg of a back-to-back against the NBA’s worst team, the Washington Wizards. The Knicks will face the Wizards twice in a row before returning to Madison Square Garden to host the Utah Jazz (7-22).

This stretch presents a golden opportunity for New York to extend its streak to nine games before traveling to Oklahoma City for a showdown with the league-leading Thunder on Jan. 3.

But the Knicks aren’t looking that far ahead. They are taking things one step at a time.

Their latest step? A commanding blowout over the Magic, cementing their status as one of the East’s hottest teams.