Magic’s Paolo Banchero sends a strong warning to Orlando following the Knicks’ upset.
Paolo Banchero of Orlando has been locked in for the playoffs.
“We knew they would come out, you know. We had beaten them three times before, so we knew they would want this one. We need to be able to adjust better in real action. “But yeah, they just caught us,” Paolo Banchero said after the Orlando Magic’s 98-74 loss to the New York Knicks on Friday night at Madison Square Garden, according to Orlando Sports Magic beat reporter Jason Beede.
New York came in with a score to settle after losing their first three games against Orlando, restricting the Magic to the lowest total scored by any NBA club this season.
Tom Thibodeau’s defense-minded Knicks held the Magic to 74 points, breaking the previous season low by three points (77) set by the Portland Trail Blazers against the Oklahoma City Thunder on January 11.
Despite being on a five-game winning run, the Magic trailed the Knicks throughout the game.
“This is exactly what the playoffs will be like,” Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley explained.
Despite being doubtful due to a left knee injury, Jalen Brunson led New York’s offense with 26 points. Josh Hart scored 19 points, and Precious Achiuwa had a double-double with 15 points and 14 rebounds.
The Knicks and Magic combined for 172 points, falling well short of the game’s betting under line.
Paolo Banchero led Orlando with 23 points and 9 rebounds, but the Magic shot only 34.2 percent from the field and 23.1 percent from three.
For the Magic, Franz Wagner scored 13 points and Jonathan Isaac added 11. However, Orlando’s 74 points and 12 assists were season lows for the squad.
The Knicks had excellent shooting accuracy, connecting on 8 of their first 9 three-point tries, which contrasted with their regular shooting performance, in which they frequently encounter long-range issues.
Banchero commented on a prospective playoff game versus the Knicks, saying, “It’ll be fascinating to see how it all plays out. Fourth through eighth place is such a tight competition that you don’t know how the final (19) games will play out. However, it is possible that we will play them. “Playing in a playoff series here would be fantastic.”
“We’ve
Leave a Reply