The New York Knicks beat up the Orlando Magic in the first half of Tuesday’s 121-106 win. But a great pass from Josh Hart and a buzzer-beating shot by Mikal Bridges knocked the Magic down to the wild-card spot.
Bridges’ shot, made possible by clutch passes by Hart and Karl-Anthony Towns, gave the Knicks a 71-51 halftime lead, stunning the Magic. New York had 10 assists in the quarter alone, led by three from Bridges and two from Hart. Towns scored 10 points in the second and grabbed eight rebounds, the same number the Magic had as a team.
It was a game that New York needed more than Orlando, for NBA Cup purposes. While both teams were 3-0 in their group, Orlando’s massive point differential advantage meant they were almost certain to advance to the quarterfinals. But when the Knicks have six players scoring in double figures, it’s hard to beat them no matter what the opponent’s motivation.
Hart was the lowest scorer of that group with 11 points, but he put up a triple-double with 13 rebounds and 10 assists. Hart is averaging a career-high 5.7 assists, thanks in part to having great shooters like Towns (53.3% shooting, 45.5% from three) and Jalen Brunson (48.3%, 41.1%).
In the last two games, Bridges has also been great. He’s shot 62.5% while averaging 25 points and going 8-for-18 from three-point range. The Knicks have been doing some impressive passing, notching 30 team assists in the last two games, but big assist numbers also depend on shots going in.
Tuesday, over 50% of their shots did. In the first half, it was 56.5%. If they can keep the hot shooting going against the Atlanta Hawks next week, they’ll be headed to the semifinals in Las Vegas.
