Amazingly, the Knicks haven’t faced an Eastern Conference opponent with a winning record since October.
Until Tuesday.
The streaking Orlando Magic (15-7), winners of six straight, hit MSG for a matchup that doubles as an NBA Cup elimination game and a test of the Knicks’ standing in the conference.
Interestingly, the Magic have been without their perceived best player, Paolo Banchero, who has missed 17 straight games with an oblique strain. His absence has allowed Franz Wagner, the young German pushing for an All-Star bid while averaging 23.4 points, to flourish.
Josh Hart outlined an advantage for the Knicks (12-8), and not surprisingly it’s been their strength all season — outside shooting.
“[Orlando’s] a team that’s very physical. They’re a team that collapses in the paint,” Hart said. “So as long as we get into the paint and spray and find five guys, there’ll be open shots.
“That’s the benefit of having [Jalen Brunson] who is shooting a good percentage, [Mikal Bridges] is coming off the best game of his year, OG [Anunoby] is shooting at a high percentage, [Karl-Anthony Towns] obviously. So being able to get in the lane, see the bigs on their team, see how they protect the paint. We should be able to get in there and spray. It should be a big assist game for us. Big drive-and-kick game for us.”
New York’s offense ranked No. 1 heading into Monday with the highest points per possession, a number bolstered by its 39.3 percent shooting on treys (second to only the Cavs).
The Magic are the inverse. They entered Monday with the NBA’s worst 3-point percentage at 31.7, the No. 22 offense and the No. 3 defense.
The Knicks were No. 22 in defense.
It’s a clash of styles.
“They’re playing great defense,” Thibodeau said.
If the Knicks beat the Magic, they’ll host an NBA Cup quarterfinal game on Dec. 11, an NBA source confirmed.
If the Knicks lose, they’re eliminated and will fill out next week’s schedule with TBD opponents. Even though New York is 3-0 in the group, it has no chance at the wild-card spot because its point differential is worse than that of the Celtics, who finished second in Group C.
There’s less at stake for the Magic. They will win the group with a victory against the Knicks, but probably still get the wild-card spot with a loss.
Brunson was named the Eastern Conference’s Player of the Week on Monday after averaging 26.8 points and 9.8 assists over four games.
The Knicks went 3-1. Towns was also nominated for the award.
Precious Achiuwa remains out for Tuesday but will probably return within the week, according to Thibodeau.
Achiuwa (strained hamstring), who will miss his 21st straight game, practiced Monday.
“He’s going to do more contact now,” the coach said. “He’s getting closer. Probably in the next week.”