ORLANDO, Fla. — It’s hard to estimate a count on the amount of Knicks fans crowded into Kia Center Saturday evening against the number of fans for the home team, but it’s safe to say that Jalen Suggs was playing to every one of the Magic fans as Orlando ran away from the Knicks in the fourth quarter.
The Knicks appeared frustrated, bothered by the physical play, the grabbing and shoving and flopping, and annoyed by their own struggles. In the end, they had no one to blame but themselves as they fell, 133-121, to the Magic, dropping to 1-5 on the road this season.
The Knicks were shorthanded, playing not only without OG Anunoby, but missing Deuce McBride with an illness and just minutes into the game losing Landry Shamet to a shoulder injury. But the Magic, who have been playing without Paolo Banchero, put up a season-high offensive output with Franz Wagner just one off his career-high, scoring 37 points. Desmond Bane had 27 points and Suggs added 26.
For the Knicks it was Jalen Brunson with 23 of his 33 points in the first half, Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 24 points.
After a back and forth battle for three quarters, the Knicks fell behind by 10 early in the fourth quarter as Orlando kept hurting the Knicks from behind the arc. Entering the game 20th in the NBA in three-point percentage, but by the time Wagner connected with 7:40 remaining Orlando was 11-for-26 (42.3%). Out of a timeout the Knicks misfired and Suggs drained a corner three and the lead was up to 13.
Josh Hart then was battling for a loose ball and got tangled up with Suggs, shoving him with a hand on his neck as he pushed him to the ground. As the officials rushed between them Suggs raced to the corner of the court and animatedly pumped up the fans. After a lengthy review Hart was called for a common foul, his fifth, and a technical foul.
Open dunks by Suggs and Tristan da Silva called for a Knicks timeout with the deficit ballooned to 124-106. Hart would foul out with 2:34 left, sending Suggs to the line again. At that point, Mike Brown emptied the bench with the Knicks down by 12 and Suggs at the line. This came after he did not do it last time against Orlando and Brunson wound up suffering a sprained ankle in the final minutes.
Just 2:43 into the game the Knicks lost Shamet, likely for an extended period of time. Starting once again, he was defending Suggs who was bringing the ball up court and Shamet ran into a hard screen set by Magic center Wendell Carter Jr.
Shamet, who dislocated his right shoulder in preseason last year, immediately grabbed at his right arm and headed straight for the locker room with his shoulder appearing to have popped out of the socket again.
The Knicks ruled him out for the game, but the injury puts his immediate and long-term future In question. Just eight days after he put up a career-high 36 points against Miami and three days since he hit a pair of huge three-point field goals in the final minutes to help the Knicks win in Dallas, he could be facing decisions on whether to have surgery this time rather than rehab it. And the Knicks could have a choice, too, with Shamet on a non-guaranteed deal.
With Shamet sidelined, McBride listed as available but not on the bench, and Hart picking up three fouls in the first quarter, Brown had to go deep into his bench. In the first half Brown used 11 players — every player who was healthy except for Pacome Dadiet. Dadiet would get in the game when the benches were emptied in the final minutes of the game.
The Knicks jumped out to a 15-5 lead, but Orlando answered with a 14-0 run and the Knicks were chasing the rest of the half. Brunson was matching Wagner in the half, each scoring 23 points as the Knicks took a 66-64 lead into the intermission.
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.