Big second half pushes Magic past Knicks
Mario Hezonja had 19 points and Jamel Artis added 16 off the bench to lead the Orlando Magic to a 97-73 win over the host New York Knicks on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden.
Tim Hardaway Jr. had 16 points and Trey Burke added 15 points to lead the Knicks, who lost their fourth straight game and for the sixth time in seven games.
Orlando entered the game having lost 11 of their previous 13 games and held a one-point lead at halftime.
The Magic took control in the third quarter, holding the Knicks to just 16 points, and then outscored New York 29-12 in a furious fourth quarter rally. Orlando was spurred on in the fourth by Khem Birch, who had nine of his 11 points in the quarter. Birch also added 10 rebounds for the Magic, who posted a 53-42 advantage on the glass and had 28 assists to New York's 17.
The Knicks' 73-point performance tied for their worst scoring output of the season.
Shelvin Mack had 12 points, eight rebounds and eight assists off the bench for the Magic, who snapped a three-game losing streak. Nikola Vucevic had 11 points and 10 rebounds, and Orlando made up for a subpar statistical performance from Aaron Gordon, who had seven points and four rebounds.
Kyle O'Quinn had 13 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks for the Knicks, but he had just one point and two rebounds in the final quarter. Courtney Lee added 13 points off the bench for New York, which shot just 35 percent from the field and 15 percent from 3-point range. Hardaway, Burke and Lance Thomas combined to shoot 3 for 16 from behind the arc.
Orlando returns home for a two-game set, starting with Dallas on Wednesday night, before heading back on the road for two games.
New York remains at home for the fourth game of a five-game home stand, with Miami coming to town on Friday night, before ending the season at Cleveland on April 11.
--Field Level Media
