Game ID: 22300429
New York Knicks @ Orlando Magic
Friday, December 29, 2023 at 7:00 PM ET
Kia Center, Orlando, FL
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
ORL 26 29 31 31 117NYK 29 15 30 34 108
NYK @ ORL ScoutingNYK @ ORL Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
ORL availability going into 12/21 · back-to-backOUT Fultz missed 18 since 11/11, out tonight
OUT Ingles missed 2 since 12/17, out tonight
BACK Carter Jr. back 12/20 after 20, 23 min since (91% of 26)
BACK Isaac back 12/11 after 3, 15 min since (89% of 16)
NEW Black 16 to 22 min over the last 5
NEW Bitadze 15 to 24 min over the last 5
ORL availability going into 12/23 · 1 day's restOUT Fultz missed 19 since 11/11, out tonight
OUT Ingles missed 3 since 12/17, out tonight
BACK Carter Jr. back 12/20 after 20, 22 min since (87% of 26)
BACK Isaac back 12/11 after 3, 14 min since (88% of 16)
NEW Bitadze 15 to 24 min over the last 4
ORL availability going into 12/26 · 2 days' restOUT Suggs missed 2 since 12/21, returns tonight: 29 min (106% of 28)
OUT Fultz missed 20 since 11/11, out tonight
OUT Ingles missed 4 since 12/17, out tonight
BACK Carter Jr. back 12/20 after 20, 20 min since (80% of 26)
NEW Black 16 to 23 min over the last 5
ORL availability going into 12/27 · back-to-backOUT Fultz missed 21 since 11/11, out tonight
OUT Ingles missed 5 since 12/17, out tonight
BACK Suggs back 12/26 after 2, 29 min since (106% of 28)
BACK Carter Jr. back 12/20 after 20, 21 min since (80% of 26)
NEW Black 16 to 24 min over the last 5
ORL availability going into 12/29 · 1 day's restOUT Fultz missed 22 since 11/11, out tonight
OUT Ingles missed 6 since 12/17, out tonight
OUT Isaac missed 2 since 12/26, out tonight
BACK Suggs back 12/26 after 2, 29 min since (105% of 28)
BACK Carter Jr. back 12/20 after 20, 21 min since (81% of 26)
NEW Black 16 to 25 min over the last 5
ORL availability going into 12/31 · 1 day's restOUT Gar. Harris missed 2 since 12/27, returns tonight: 32 min (134% of 24)
OUT Fultz missed 23 since 11/11, out tonight
OUT Ingles missed 7 since 12/17, out tonight
OUT Isaac missed 3 since 12/26, out tonight
BACK Suggs back 12/26 after 2, 30 min since (107% of 28)
NEW Black 16 to 27 min over the last 5
NEW Houstan 13 to 19 min over the last 5
ORL availability going into 1/02 · 1 day's restOUT Fultz missed 24 since 11/11, out tonight
OUT Ingles missed 8 since 12/17, out tonight
OUT Isaac missed 4 since 12/26, out tonight
OUT Queen missed 2 since 12/29, out tonight
BACK Suggs back 12/26 after 2, 29 min since (107% of 28)
BACK Gar. Harris back 12/31 after 2, 32 min since (134% of 24)
NEW Black 16 to 27 min over the last 5
ORL availability going into 1/03 · back-to-backOUT Fultz missed 25 since 11/11, out tonight
OUT Ingles missed 9 since 12/17, out tonight
OUT Isaac missed 5 since 12/26, out tonight
OUT Queen missed 3 since 12/29, returns tonight: 38 min (322% of 12)
BACK Suggs back 12/26 after 2, 30 min since (108% of 28)
BACK Gar. Harris back 12/31 after 2, 31 min since (126% of 24)
NEW F. Wagner 33 to 38 min over the last 5
NEW Black 16 to 24 min over the last 5
ORL availability going into 1/05 · 1 day's restOUT Fultz missed 26 since 11/11, out tonight
OUT Ingles missed 10 since 12/17, out tonight
OUT Isaac missed 6 since 12/26, out tonight
BACK Gar. Harris back 12/31 after 2, 24 min since (100% of 24)
BACK Queen back 1/03 after 3, 38 min since (322% of 12)
NEW Black 16 to 22 min over the last 5
NEW Bitadze 15 to 23 min over the last 5
NEW Houstan 13 to 19 min over the last 5
NYK availability going into 12/20 · 1 day's restOUT Robinson missed 5 since 12/11, out tonight
OUT Fournier missed 14 since 11/18, out tonight
NEW Hartenstein 26 to 31 min over the last 5
NYK availability going into 12/23 · 2 days' restOUT Robinson missed 6 since 12/11, out tonight
OUT Fournier missed 15 since 11/18, out tonight
NEW Hartenstein 26 to 32 min over the last 5
NYK availability going into 12/25 · 1 day's restOUT Robinson missed 7 since 12/11, out tonight
OUT Fournier missed 16 since 11/18, out tonight
OUT Sims missed 2 since 12/20, out tonight
NEW Hartenstein 26 to 32 min over the last 5
NYK availability going into 12/27 · 1 day's restOUT Robinson missed 8 since 12/11, out tonight
OUT Fournier missed 17 since 11/18, out tonight
OUT Sims missed 3 since 12/20, out tonight
NEW Hartenstein 26 to 33 min over the last 5
NYK availability going into 12/29 · 1 day's restOUT Robinson missed 9 since 12/11, out tonight
OUT McBride missed 2 since 12/25, out tonight
OUT Fournier missed 18 since 11/18, out tonight
OUT Sims missed 4 since 12/20, out tonight
NEW Hartenstein 26 to 34 min over the last 5
NYK availability going into 12/30 · back-to-backOUT Robinson missed 10 since 12/11, out tonight
OUT McBride missed 3 since 12/25, returns tonight: 18 min (85% of 21)
OUT Fournier missed 19 since 11/18, returns tonight: 17 min (135% of 13)
OUT Sims missed 5 since 12/20, out tonight
NEW Hartenstein 26 to 32 min over the last 5
NYK availability going into 1/01 · 1 day's restOUT Robinson missed 11 since 12/11, out tonight
OUT Sims missed 6 since 12/20, out tonight
BACK McBride back 12/30 after 3, 18 min since (85% of 21)
BACK Fournier back 12/30 after 19, 17 min since (135% of 13)
NEW Hartenstein 26 to 32 min over the last 5
NYK availability going into 1/03 · 1 day's restOUT Robinson missed 12 since 12/11, out tonight
OUT Sims missed 7 since 12/20, returns tonight: 1 min (9% of 12)
BACK McBride back 12/30 after 3, 12 min since (60% of 21)
BACK Fournier back 12/30 after 19, 17 min since (135% of 13)
NEW Hartenstein 26 to 33 min over the last 5
NYK availability going into 1/05 · 1 day's restOUT Robinson missed 13 since 12/11, out tonight
OUT Fournier missed 2 since 1/01, out tonight
BACK McBride back 12/30 after 3, 12 min since (56% of 21)
BACK Sims back 1/03 after 7, 1 min since (9% of 12)
NEW Hartenstein 26 to 34 min over the last 5
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Orlando comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 115, shooting 47 percent and 30 from three, 26 free throws a game; F. Wagner at 24 and Banchero at 22 a game. Without Fultz (22 straight), Ingles (6 straight), Isaac (2 straight). One day's rest. New York comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 118, shooting 48 percent and 36 from three, 25 free throws a game; Brunson at 29 and Randle at 26 a game. Without Robinson (9 straight), McBride (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Orlando wins, and the game turns on the arc, New York at 36 percent from three to Orlando's 30. Call it Orlando 115, New York 114, New York keeping it close.
12/21 @ MIL 114-118 — ORL notes
ORL lost 114-118. ORL took 9 more shots (99 to 90), fed by 13 offensive rebounds, but shot 45% to MIL's 42%, 8 of 33 from three, and got to the line 23 times to MIL's 35. ORL turned it over 7 times to MIL's 13. F. Wagner led with 29 (13 of 23, 1 of 6 from three); Banchero added 23, M. Wagner 21. Q4 was theirs, 32-27, the deficit cut from 9 to 4, but the other 3 periods went 91-82 against them. Carter Jr.'s -27 in 21 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/23 @ IND 117-110 — ORL notes
ORL won 117-110. ORL shot 53% (39 of 73) to IND's 52%, 6 of 18 from three, and went to the line 41 times to IND's 13 — 33 points from the stripe to their 9. Banchero led with 34 (11 of 20, 12 of 16 at the line); F. Wagner added 24, Harris 15. The hinge was Q1, 36-27: from level to 9 ahead, and the lead reached 15.
12/26 @ WAS 127-119 — ORL notes
ORL won 127-119. ORL shot 53% (49 of 93) to WAS's 49%, 12 of 26 from three. F. Wagner led with 28 (10 of 17, 2 of 4 from three, 6 of 8 at the line); Banchero added 24, Black 23. The hinge was Q3, 35-28: a lead of 3 became 10, and the lead reached 17. F. Wagner was the night's best plus/minus at +26.
12/27 vs PHI 92-112 — ORL notes
ORL lost 92-112. ORL shot 39% (31 of 79) to PHI's 47%, 9 of 33 from three, and went to the line 24 times to PHI's 17 — 21 points from the stripe to their 12. ORL turned it over 16 times to PHI's 10, and PHI turned those into 10 steals. F. Wagner led with 24 (8 of 16, 1 of 5 from three, 7 of 8 at the line); Suggs added 20, Banchero 19. Q1 was theirs, 25-26, but the other 3 periods went 86-67 against them. F. Wagner's -22 in 36 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/29 vs NYK 117-108 — ORL notes
ORL won 117-108. ORL shot 45% (40 of 89) to NYK's 44%, 7 of 33 from three, and went to the line 40 times to NYK's 29 — 30 points from the stripe to their 26. F. Wagner led with 32 (11 of 19, 3 of 5 from three, 7 of 7 at the line); Banchero added 29, Suggs 21. The hinge was Q2, 29-15: ORL came in trailing by 3 and left it ahead by 11, and the lead reached 20. Bitadze was the night's best plus/minus at +16.
12/31 @ PHX — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Phoenix comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 118, shooting 50 percent and 37 from three, 25 free throws a game; Durant at 26 and Booker at 25 a game. It has won the glass by 9 a night. Without Eubanks (2 straight), Bates-Diop (6 straight). One day's rest. Orlando comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 113, shooting 47 percent and 29 from three, 31 free throws a game; F. Wagner at 27 and Banchero at 26 a game. Without Gar. Harris (2 straight), Fultz (23 straight), Ingles (7 straight). One day's rest.
So: Phoenix wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Phoenix has been plus-9 a night and Orlando minus-1 and the arc, Phoenix at 37 percent from three to Orlando's 29. Call it Phoenix 115, Orlando 114, Orlando keeping it close.
1/02 @ GSW — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Golden State comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 118, shooting 48 percent and 35 from three, 21 free throws a game; Curry at 23 and Wiggins at 16 a game. That is 3 straight losses. It has won the glass by 7 a night. Without Green (9 straight). 2 days' rest. Orlando comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 112, shooting 47 percent and 31 from three, 28 free throws a game; F. Wagner at 27 and Banchero at 27 a game. Without Fultz (24 straight), Ingles (8 straight), Isaac (4 straight). One day's rest.
So: Golden State wins, and the game turns on the line, where Orlando takes 28 free throws a game to Golden State's 21 and the glass, where Golden State has been plus-7 a night and Orlando plus-3. Call it Golden State 116, Orlando 113, Orlando keeping it close.
1/03 @ SAC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Sacramento comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 111, shooting 48 percent and 34 from three, 17 free throws a game; Fox at 31 and Sabonis at 22 a game. Second night of a back-to-back. Orlando comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 114, shooting 46 percent and 33 from three, 25 free throws a game; F. Wagner at 27 and Banchero at 25 a game. Without Fultz (25 straight), Ingles (9 straight), Isaac (5 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Sacramento wins, and the game turns on the line, where Orlando takes 25 free throws a game to Sacramento's 17. Call it Sacramento 115, Orlando 111, Orlando keeping it close.
1/05 @ DEN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Denver comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 112, shooting 51 percent and 39 from three, 22 free throws a game; Jokić at 24 and Murray at 22 a game. Second night of a back-to-back. Orlando comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 118, shooting 45 percent and 37 from three, 25 free throws a game; Banchero at 29 and F. Wagner at 23 a game. That is 3 straight losses. Without Fultz (26 straight), Ingles (10 straight), Isaac (6 straight). One day's rest.
So: Denver wins, and the game turns on the turnovers, Orlando giving it away 17 times a game to Denver's 12 and the defense, Denver allowing 112 a night to Orlando's 118. Call it Denver 117, Orlando 111.
12/20 @ BKN 121-102 — NYK notes
NYK won 121-102. NYK shot 46% (44 of 95) to BKN's 37%, 13 of 33 from three, and went to the line 25 times to BKN's 17 — 20 points from the stripe to their 13. Randle led with 26 (9 of 20, 0 of 4 from three, 8 of 9 at the line); DiVincenzo added 23, Quickley 19. The hinge was Q1, 32-20: from level to 12 ahead, and the lead reached 25. Randle was the night's best plus/minus at +27.
12/23 vs MIL 111-130 — NYK notes
NYK lost 111-130. NYK shot 44% (41 of 93) to MIL's 53%, 9 of 29 from three. The glass went 41-53 against them. Brunson led with 36 (15 of 26, 3 of 5 from three); Randle added 26, Barrett 13. Q2 was theirs, 27-26, the deficit cut from 9 to 8, but the other 3 periods went 104-84 against them. Hart's -19 in 26 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/25 vs MIL 129-122 — NYK notes
NYK won 129-122. NYK shot 54% (50 of 92) to MIL's 47%, 8 of 26 from three. Brunson led with 38 (15 of 28, 1 of 3 from three, 7 of 9 at the line); Randle added 24, Barrett 21. The hinge was Q1, 36-27: from level to 9 ahead, and the lead reached 16. Quickley was the night's best plus/minus at +14.
12/27 @ OKC 120-129 — NYK notes
NYK lost 120-129. NYK shot 50% (41 of 82) to OKC's 54%, 14 of 34 from three, and went to the line 30 times to OKC's 22 — 24 points from the stripe to their 17. NYK turned it over 18 times to OKC's 4. The glass went 40-27 for them. Randle led with 25 (7 of 15, 1 of 4 from three, 10 of 13 at the line); Brunson added 24, Quickley 22. Q3 was theirs, 29-24, the deficit cut from 9 to 4, but the other 3 periods went 105-91 against them. Gibson's -16 in 10 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/29 @ ORL 108-117 — NYK notes
NYK lost 108-117. NYK shot 44% (38 of 86) to ORL's 45%, 6 of 30 from three, and got to the line 29 times to ORL's 40. Randle led with 38 (16 of 25, 0 of 4 from three, 6 of 8 at the line); Brunson added 20, Barrett 19. Q1 was theirs, 29-26, but the other 3 periods went 91-79 against them. Barrett's -22 in 37 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/30 @ IND — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Indiana comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 113, shooting 52 percent and 42 from three, 19 free throws a game; Haliburton at 24 and Turner at 20 a game. Without Bru. Brown (3 straight), McConnell (2 straight), Sheppard (6 straight). One day's rest. New York comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 120, shooting 48 percent and 33 from three, 26 free throws a game; Randle at 28 and Brunson at 27 a game. Without Robinson (10 straight), McBride (3 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Indiana wins, and the game turns on the arc, Indiana at 42 percent from three to New York's 33 and the line, where New York takes 26 free throws a game to Indiana's 19. Call it Indiana 122, New York 116.
1/01 vs MIN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New York comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 128, shooting 48 percent and 35 from three, 27 free throws a game; Brunson at 29 and Randle at 28 a game. That is 3 straight losses. Without Robinson (11 straight). One day's rest. Minnesota comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 111, shooting 49 percent and 40 from three, 26 free throws a game; Edwards at 32 and Gobert at 16 a game. One day's rest.
So: Minnesota wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Minnesota allowing 111 a night to New York's 128 and the arc, Minnesota at 40 percent from three to New York's 35. Call it Minnesota 116, New York 114, New York keeping it close.
1/03 vs CHI — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New York comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 123, shooting 48 percent and 35 from three, 28 free throws a game; Randle at 31 and Brunson at 25 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without Robinson (12 straight). One day's rest. Chicago comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 104 a night and allowing 109, shooting 44 percent and 24 from three, 25 free throws a game; DeRozan at 21 and White at 17 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. Without LaVine (16 straight), Vučević (4 straight), Craig (8 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: New York wins, and the game turns on the arc, New York at 35 percent from three to Chicago's 24 and the defense, Chicago allowing 109 a night to New York's 123. Call it New York 116, Chicago 110.
1/05 @ PHI — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Philadelphia comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 108, shooting 46 percent and 34 from three, 24 free throws a game; Maxey at 24 and Harris at 21 a game. It has lost the glass by 10 a night. 2 days' rest. New York comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 118, shooting 47 percent and 37 from three, 25 free throws a game; Randle at 33 and Brunson at 24 a game. It has won the glass by 8 a night. Without Robinson (13 straight). One day's rest.
So: Philadelphia wins, and the game turns on the glass, where New York has been plus-8 a night and Philadelphia minus-10 and the defense, Philadelphia allowing 108 a night to New York's 118. Call it Philadelphia 117, New York 112.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
NYKDD D. DiVincenzo
IH I. Hartenstein
IQ I. Quickley
JB J. Brunson
JH J. Hart
JR J. Randle
QG Q. Grimes
RB R. Barrett
TG T. Gibson
ORLAB A. Black
CA C. Anthony
CH C. Houstan
CO C. Okeke
FW F. Wagner
GB G. Bitadze
JS J. Suggs
MW M. Wagner
PB P. Banchero
NYK/ORL the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero help Magic beat Knicks 117-108
ORLANDO, Fla. -- — Franz Wagner had 32 points and nine rebounds, Paolo Banchero added 29 points and 10 rebounds and the Orlando Magic held off the New York Knicks 117-108 on Friday night
Jalen Suggs had 21 points and six assists before a franchise-record home crowd of 19,587.
Julius Randle had 38 points, 12 rebounds and six assists for the Knicks, who finally got some shots to fall in a frantic fourth-quarter comeback attempt.
“It was a tough back-and-forth game at the end," New York forward RJ Barrett said. “I think we adjusted well in the second half, but we’ve got to start better.”
Jalen Brunson had 20 points and eight assists for the Knicks and made all 12 of his free throws. The problem, according to Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau, is that he should have had more attempts.
“What this guy is going through is ridiculous,” Thibodeau said. “He gets hammered time and time again and I’m sick and tired of it. No one drives the ball more to the rim than this guy does, and if you rake across his arm and hit him on the head, those are fouls.”
Brunson refused to discuss calls or non-calls.
“The shots weren’t falling, but with that being said it was a winnable game,” he said.
The Magic gave most of the credit for Brunson's 4-for-15 shooting to rookie guard Anthony Black .
“He’s a special individual who knows how to play defense and guard the right way,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said. "I think he did a heck of a job on Jalen Brunson.”
Banchero's task of guarding he 6-foot-9, 253-pound Randle was more physically formidable.
“He’s a freight train.” said the 6-10, 250-pound Banchero. "At the same time he can make tough shots so it was a great challenge, but I wanted to accept the challenge.”
Both teams struggled from 3-point range, with New York shooting 6 for 30 and Orlando 7 for 33.
The Knicks missed 13 of their first 15 shots in the second quarter while committing five turnovers. Wagner and Banchero led the Magic on an 18-4 run, and Wagner finished the first half with a layup to put Orlando up 55-44.
A layup by Banchero pushed the Magic's lead to 20 midway through the third quarter, and that proved to be just out of reach for the Knicks.
“The second quarter was a problem and our rebounding wasn’t good enough,” Thibodeau said. “We had a chance at the end but we couldn’t get a stop when we needed it.”
Randle, Barrett and Brunson led a charge that got the Knicks within five in the closing minute, but Suggs sealed it with a 12-foot jumper and a dunk.
“You know they're going to make some sort of run at the end,” Banchero said. “You just want to be able to withstand it and close the game out.”
The Knicks came into the game leading the NBA in total rebound percentage, but were outrebounded 49-40.