Tonight's Matchup: New York Knicks vs. Orlando Magic
Where: Amway Center
TV: MSG Network (7:00 pm)
Knicks Report (15-64)
Tonight in Orlando, the Knicks will wrap up the final back-to-back set of 20 this season. It's been a challenging year, with injuries and roster changes adding to the difficulty of adjusting to a new system, but Derek Fisher voiced his pleasure with his team's effort down the stretch after Friday's 99-91 loss to Milwaukee at the Garden.
Langston Galloway and Lance Thomas combined to score 36 points in the defeat, and Fisher praised their impact on New York's positive locker room culture. Giannis Antetokounmpo's 23 points and 9 rebounds put the Bucks in position to clinch a playoff spot, but the shorthanded Knicks showed grit to fight back from a sluggish start to the 3rd quarter.
Magic Report (25-54)
Despite a promising young core of players, Orlando is headed to the lottery for the third straight season. A foot injury forced No. 4 overall pick Aaron Gordon's season to miss almost half the season and the Magic haven't gotten the boost they expected from some veteran additions -- the team's top five scorers are all under 25 years old.
Big man Nikola Vucevic (19.5 points and 11.0 rebounds per game) is a double-double machine, and he's surrounded by high-upside talent. The backcourt of Elfrid Payton and Victor Oladipo can cause turnovers and score in transition, while Tobias Harris and Evan Fournier add inside-out scoring ability on the wings.
Game Notes
Andrea Bargnani missed Friday's game with an illness, but Fisher said he was looking to shuffle the starting lineup after a few recent slow starts. Lou Amundson responded with a double-double (10 points, 11 rebounds) off the bench and both Shane Larkin (14 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds) and Jason Smith (11 points, 7 boards,3 assists) provided a spark.