How do you gauge a team on the brink of an historic offensive season?
By throwing them against one of the NBA’s defensive titans.
How do you heighten the stakes? Add an elimination scenario. Winner takes all.
The Knicks’ NBA Cup dreams hinge on Tuesday night’s showdown against the Orlando Magic, and while the Knicks are hot, winners in 8 of their last 11 games, the Magic are scorching.
“They’re gonna be physical. I’ve known coach Moseley for a long time, and he’s always been so adamant on defense, and so that’s what they do: Obviously, they play both sides of the ball well, but defensively, they’re the best statistically right now,” Knicks captain Jalen Brunson said after practice at the team’s Tarrytown training facility Monday afternoon. “So it’s gonna be a battle, and I know how his mindset is, and he has them rolling right now.”
Rolling might be an understatement.
Orlando (15-7) is riding a six-game winning streak, part of a 12-1 run since Nov. 1, despite missing franchise cornerstone Paolo Banchero, sidelined with a torn oblique.
After losing their first four games without Banchero, the Magic regrouped and emerged as a defensive juggernaut. They rank second only to Houston in defensive rating, allowing just 104.3 points per 100 possessions in November. Their success starts with Mosley, who finished second to Oklahoma City’s Mark Daigneault in 2024 NBA Coach of the Year voting, Then it spills down to Jalen Suggs who defends the point of attack, extends to versatile wings and can guard all five positions with length and athleticism.
“They’ve got quality depth. They’re long. They’re playing great defense,” said Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau. “Offensive rebounding. They get to the line. So we have to be ready.”
And then there’s Franz Wagner — the Magic’s rising star and current offensive centerpiece.
Wagner has thrived in Banchero’s absence, averaging 25.4 points in November, including a 37-point explosion in a one-point win over the Lakers.
There’s also the play-making: The 2024 Paris Olympic standout for Team Germany is also averaging 6.5 assists and 5.9 rebounds per game during this stretch.
Wagner’s productivity demands the full attention of Knicks defensive ace OG Anunoby, while New York must also account for Orlando’s cadre of shooters. The Magic rank 11th in three-point attempts, but their league-worst 31.7% conversion rate leaves room for the Knicks to exploit.
“Franz is playing at an All-Star level, and they’ve got shooters with KCP [Kentavious Caldwell-Pope] and Suggs and Mo [Wagner] coming off the bench,” Josh Hart said after practice on Monday. “And then hitting the offensive glass. They’re a very good team. [Mosley’s] got them there firing on all cylinders right now. This’ll be a good test for us.”
The Knicks know their opponent well. They lost three straight to Orlando last season before a March 8 blowout victory provided a late-season boost.
Those three losses, however, each came in games either predating Anunoby’s arrival in New York or games he missed due to his elbow injury last season.
The Knicks have changed their roster even more since they last saw the Magic. Their identities on both ends of the floor have transformed with the additions of Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges.
The defense remains a work in progress, but the offense ranks No. 1 in all of basketball.
Which is why Tuesday’s clash with a league-best defense is an appropriate sudden-death showdown — a classic matchup of unstoppable force versus immovable object. Tuesday’s winner advances in the NBA Cup, where a $515,000 per-player payday sweetens the deal.
The Knicks have the edge in star power, especially with Banchero out, but the Magic are a defensive nightmare set to pose their own unique set of challenges. On a night where one team’s streak will end, the Knicks aim to prove their offensive firepower can withstand the grind of elite defense — and keep their in-season tournament hopes alive.
“They’re a team who’s very physical. They’re a team who collapses in the paint. As long as we get into the paint and spray and find guys, there will be open shots,” said Hart. “That’s the benefit of obviously having JB [Jalen], who’s shooting a good percentage, Mikal, who’s coming off of his best game of the year, OG, who’s shooting a good percentage, KAT this year. So being able to get into the lane, see the bigs, see how they’re protecting the paint, and it’s our job to get out there and spray.
https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/12/02/knicks-top-ranked-offense-orlando-magic-defense-nba-cup/