The orange and blue skies continue to fall.
After leading 12-0 early in the first quarter, the New York Knicks lose 111-102 at the hands of the Orlando Magic. The Magic grabbed their first win of the season, while the Knicks will keep looking for their own as they fall to 0-3.
New York held their heavy lead until about halfway through the second quarter, where they treaded the waters and ended the first half up four points. Jalen Brunson had himself a dominant stretch in the third, leading a 10-2 run almost entirely by himself to put the Knicks up 10. Tristan da Silva caught fire, nailing two 3-pointers to bring the Magic within four entering the third quarter.
The fourth was all Franz Wagner, scoring 21 of the Magic’s 40 to close out the game. Orlando won the game, but may have lost a key piece in Jalen Suggs to a knee injury with just two minutes left.
Through the first three games, the Knicks are 30th in points per game (101.7) and field goal percentage (40.7%). The best offense NBA history has ever seen just last playoffs has fallen off a cliff.
The Knicks’ defense hasn’t seemed to lose a step, though, with 111 being the most allowed so far. They also forced a season-high 15 turnovers.
Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby have been the only effective scoring options on offense through three, both finishing with an efficient 22 points. Towns now sits at third in the NBA in rebounds per game (12.0).
Brunson’s inefficient nights continue, with this being his third straight game under 45% from the field. Brunson’s 46.7% true shooting is the 10th worst in the NBA.
Both Tyler Kolek and Jaden Akins saw their first minutes of the season. Akins was for a couple of seconds, while Kolek made sure to take advantage of his opportunity. With no Jose Alvarado due to an ankle injury, Kolek racked up nine assists and no turnovers in just 15 minutes. His nine assists are the most by a Knicks player since Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals (Brunson 14). Even when Alvarado returns, Kolek could be an interesting reserve play with his level of offensive control.
While Mikal Bridges had his most points of the season, his inefficiencies continue to hold the offense back. His defense is always well appreciated, but the Knicks need him to start being more aggressive. Bridges’ 1.2 free-throw attempts per game last season ranked dead last among all players who averaged at least as many points as he did (14.4).
It’s easy to be pessimistic right now, but the chances of a repeat aren’t zero yet. One team in NBA History has won an NBA Finals after starting 0-3: the 1990-91 Chicago Bulls. With the many Michael Jordan comparisons Brunson gets come playoff time, that isn’t the largest stretch.
The Knicks will look to nab their first win of the season against the 3-0 Detroit Pistons on Tuesday. Tipoff is set for 8:00 p.m. on MSG and NBC.
