NBA: Knicks rally in fourth quarter to beat Magic
Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks dribbles the ball as Markelle Fultz #20 of the Orlando Magic defends during the first quarter at Amway Center on February 07, 2023 in Orlando, Florida. Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images/AFP
Jalen Brunson scored 25 points and Julius Randle added 22 points, 14 rebounds and six assists as the visiting New York Knicks rallied for a 102-98 win over the Orlando Magic on Tuesday.
Immanuel Quickley scored 18 points for New York, which has won two straight and five of its last eight. RJ Barrett had 15 points and Jericho Sims tallied eight points and nine rebounds.
Article continues after this advertisementMarkelle Fultz scored 21 points for Orlando, which led for much of the game but was outscored 36-29 in the fourth quarter. Franz Wagner had 18 points, Paolo Banchero added 16 points and eight rebounds, and Wendell Carter Jr. and Moritz Wagner scored 13 points apiece.
Leading by three with 3.5 seconds left, the Knicks fouled Banchero instead of allowing the rookie to attempt a game-tying 3-pointer. After making the first free throw, Banchero’s second attempt was rebounded by Randle, who made two foul shots for the final margin.
https://twitter.com/nyknicks/status/1623165975553265666?s=20&t=0LjQ4uAAtar3CZtI2iH8HA
Article continues after this advertisementThe Knicks have won their last three meetings against Orlando, which bolted to an 18-7 lead and held a four-point advantage at the end of the first period.
Orlando stretched its lead to 12 early in the second quarter and took a 48-40 lead into the break. Franz Wagner had 12 points to lead all scorers.
Randle scored 11 points in the half for the Knicks, who shot 5 of 19 (26.3 percent) from 3-point range for the half.
Orlando maintained a single-digit lead throughout the third quarter and carried a 69-66 lead into the final period.
New York took its first lead since 2-0 when Quickley put the Knicks ahead 72-71 less than a minute into the fourth quarter.
Neither team was able to separate down the stretch. The Knicks moved ahead 92-91 on Brunson’s jumper with 2:26 remaining.
After Orlando regained the lead, the Knicks scored four straight points to lead 96-93 with 40 seconds left. New York sealed the win at the foul line, converting six shots in the final 7.7 seconds.
Orlando played without center Mo Bamba, who missed his second straight contest while serving a four-game suspension for his part of a fight Friday against Minnesota.
