The New York Knicks are set for a different kind of Magic show in Las Vegas.
New York is playing for a Sin City jackpot on Saturday evening, facing the Orlando Magic for the Eastern Conference’s spot in the NBA Cup in-season tournament’s finale at T-Mobile Arena. The winner of Saturday’s game will face either Oklahoma City or San Antonio for a December to remember.
Since the NBA Cup was introduced in 2023, the Knicks are the only team to appear in all three knockout portions staged to date. This, however, is the first time they’ve made it to the Las Vegas-based semifinals, earning that entry with a 117-101 quarterfinal win over the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday.
Jalen Brunson scored 20 of his 35 points in the first period, helping the Knicks keep an early pace before taking a permanent lead with a scintillating second that held Ontario to 13 tallies. Karl-Anthony Towns had a 16-rebound, 14-point double-double while Josh Hart scored 21 on 8-of-11 from the field.
The Knicks face a familiar foe on the Las Vegas Strip, as this is already the fourth get-together with the Magic. Top-seeded on the East’s December bracket, Orlando clinched its own championship berth with a 117-108 win over the Miami Heat at home. Metropolitan public enemy Desmond Bane scored 37 points as Orlando erased a 13-point deficit from the end of the first quarter.
Orlando has won two of the first three meetings this season, but the Knicks triumphed in the most recent staged last weekend: behind another triple-decade from Brunson and 21 more from the returning OG Anunoby (who took a ball to the back courtesy of Bane for his trouble), the Knicks successfully defended Madison Square Garden with a 106-100 victory on Sunday. This is the last time that the Knicks and Magic are due to meet this season.
What: (1) Orlando Magic (15-10, 5-0) vs. (3) New York Knicks (17-7, 4-1) (NBA Cup Semifinal)
Where: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, NV
When: Saturday, 5:30 p.m. ET, Prime Video
Who’s Favored: NYK -5.5
Keep An Eye On: Guerschon Yabusele
The Knicks’ name has been spun in the NBA’s transaction rumor mill, the gossip involving the elite (Giannis Antetokounmpo), the efficient (Jose Alvarado), and the nostalgic (Donte DiVincenzo). Exactly what the Knicks could give up in any such deal has been a subject for debate, but one of their newest arrivals is facing a pivotal points in his infantile New York career.
Yabusele and the Knicks are looking at the calendar, not counting down to Christmas but rather Dec. 15, the first day new signings are eligible to be traded. The Knicks have found success in spite of Yabusele’s early struggles, averaging 3.1 points and 2.2 rebounds after last year’s career-best breakout with Philadelphia. Signer of a two-year, $11 million deal over the offseason, Yabusele will likely face a greater spotlight over the next few weeks, even if his playing time dwindles. Saturday’s nationally-streamed fare could be a showcase not only for the Knicks’ front officer but other Association roster managers as well.
Central Floridian to Watch: Paolo Banchero
Yes, advising the basketball world to keep an eye on the Magic’s multi-million dollar franchise face feels like a cop-out, but this is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, opportunity Banchero has to shine as he tries to guide Orlando to basketball’s magic kingdom. The emphasis on Banchero only intensifies with fellow homegrown talent Franz Wagner sitting out due to ankle sprain endured in the aforementioned Manhattan matinee.
Despite the Banchero era finding a bit of a groove, the Magic has yet to procure any major advancement, though there have been some asterisks to soothe the blow: they took a stacked Cleveland team to seven games in the 2024 postseason’s opening round and team-wide injuries hurt their chances on the bracket last year. Facing a surging Knicks group that has equally powerful championship aspirations is a brilliant chance for Banchero to prove he can win in clutch situations no matter how manufactured they may be.
They Said It
“They are really physical. That’s what [Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley] prides himself on. The way that they have been able to do it makes them very successful. …They are going to be who they are, and they are going to come out here and compete and so I think for us, we have to be ready to do what we’ve got to do and combat that.”—Jalen Brunson on the Magic (h/t Jared Schwartz, New York Post)
“He gets tough when he gets to the free-throw line. He’s tough when he gets free rhythm and free buckets there. So, trying to be solid and trying to be aggressive, applying heat. Trying to make it uncomfortable. It’s a tough balance. That’s what the great ones in the league make you do.”—Jalen Suggs on defending Jalen Brunson (h/t Stefan Bondy/Jared Schwartz, New York Post)
Prediction
This semifinal features the two clubs that would benefit the most from whatever value the NBA Cup is supposed to carry. Each franchise face is looking for any sort of high-profile landmark he can call his own and this is the best opportunity to earn it until springtime.
Orlando has been the one team to have the Knicks’ number this season but they do feel a little minimized (literally and figuratively) without Wagner. The Knicks, perhaps eager to raise some sort of banner for the first time since the 2012-13 Atlantic Division title, are undoubtedly better equipped to respond to that championship challenge for the time being and will then get to eagerly await the surging Spurs or the rolling Thunder.
