Orlando fell behind 12-0 at Madison Square Garden and still won 111-102, leaving the Knicks at 0-3. The win lifts the Magic to 1-2 and 10th in the East, but Paolo Banchero's absence will be measured in weeks.
The opening quarter was a shooting problem, not a defensive one.
New York opened on a 12-0 run, and Orlando called timeout down 8-0. Philip Rossman-Reich of Orlando Magic Daily wrote that the starters shot 1 for 13 in the quarter and that the half-court defense was fine. Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel noted that Desmond Bane and Franz Wagner were scoreless and a combined 0 for 7. Jase Richardson's pullup three at the buzzer, set up by Wagner, made it 28-21. The Magic recovered from there and won by nine.
Wagner earns an A, and Black's short burst earns a B-plus.
Wagner finished with 23 points, 13 rebounds and 9 assists after the cold start. That is the two-way load a second option has to carry with Banchero out. Anthony Black came off the bench for 9 points on 3-of-4 shooting, 2-of-2 from three, and was plus-4 in five minutes. Bane's opening quarter grades out at a C-minus: 0-for-3 from deep, two turnovers and minus-10 in eight minutes. Richardson made his first start and hit one three, but was minus-11 in seven minutes. The step for both guards is steady shot quality, not volume.
One win moves the Magic up the table, but the injury list limits the gain.
Orlando is 10th at 1-2, one game behind sixth-place Indiana at 2-1. The pace projects to 27-55 with 79 games left, so this was about stopping the slide. Banchero told reporters he could miss at least a month, according to the Sentinel, and the injury report lists his return as November 22. Jonathan Isaac is out with an estimated return of October 28. Jalen Suggs now appears on the report with a right knee issue. Black was cleared.
The next stretch asks the young rotation to score without its best creator.
The Magic play at Toronto on October 28 and again on October 30, the second game an Emirates NBA Cup contest. Boston visits on November 1 and Washington on November 2. Orlando had one day of rest before this game and has three before Toronto. That window has to produce an offense that does not rely on Wagner making every difference. Richardson and Black showed they can score in short minutes. The starters have to show it over a full game.
Did the Magic beat the Knicks on October 25?
Yes, Orlando won 111-102 at Madison Square Garden after trailing 28-21 after one quarter. Franz Wagner led the Magic with 23 points, 13 rebounds and 9 assists.
How long will Paolo Banchero be out?
Banchero said he could miss at least a month with his ankle injury, according to the Orlando Sentinel. The injury report lists his return as November 22.
