New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) drives against Orlando Magic center Moritz Wagner, left, during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Alan Youngblood)
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Jalen Brunson scored 31 points, Karl-Anthony Towns added 22 points and 22 rebounds and the New York Knicks beat the Orlando Magic 100-91 on Sunday night.
Mikal Bridges had 17 points for the Knicks and Josh Hart added 12 points, five rebounds and five assists.
Moritz Wagner led the Magic with a career-high 32 points in Orlando’s first homecourt loss of the season. Rookie Tristan da Silva added a career-high 20 points.
Jalen Suggs had nine points, eight assists and three blocks for Orlando before fouling out with 3:59 left. Suggs shot 4 for 19.
Takeaways
Knicks: In a game added to the schedule when Tuesday’s loss to Atlanta eliminated the Knicks from the NBA Cup tournament, the Knicks relied on defense and rebounding (45-39) before pulling away to a 16-point lead in the fourth quarter.
Magic: Playing their third game without high-scoring forwards Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, the Magic took their first homecourt loss since March 30 in the first of a seven-game homestand.
Key moment
After a Brunson 3-pointer regained a double-digit lead for the Knicks early in the fourth quarter, Towns blocked a shot and Josh Hart converted a twisting baseline layup to put New York up 85-72 with 7:36 remaining.
Key stats
The Knicks had 12 turnovers in the first half, only six in the second half. … The Magic made only 9 of 30 3-point shots, slightly below their season percentage of 31%, which ranks last in the NBA.
Up next
The Knicks play at Minnesota on Thursday in Towns’ first regular-season game against the team for which he played his first nine NBA seasons. The Magic host Oklahoma City on Thursday.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
By DICK SCANLON
Associated Press
