New York Knicks Defensive No-Show vs Orlando Magic

The New York Knicks didn’t show up against the Orlando Magic on Monday night as Orlando lit up the scoreboard.

The New York Knicks are not playing good basketball currently. Injuries have thrown the rotation out of whack, as Courtney Lee, Kristaps Porzingis, and Kyle O’Quinn have all missed multiple games recently. But, the schedule looked to be giving them a gift at Madison Square Garden against the Orlando Magic.

The Knicks came into the matchup against the Magic riding a four-game losing streak. Thier comeback attempt against the Boston Celtics on Christmas Day fell short, then they lost all three games on their road trip. The injuries began creeping up during the road trip, but some home cooking is always a good remedy for a losing streak.

The Knicks came into the game against the Magic with an 11-5 record at Madison Square Garden. Their five losses at home were against some of the best teams in the NBA, as the worst visitor to win at Madison Square Garden was the Oklahoma City Thunder. Now, the Magic are the worst visiting team to win at Madison Square Garden.

The Knicks no-showed their game against the Magic on Monday night. This is arguably the worst loss of the season for the Knicks. Given the situation, a four-game losing streak and a bad road trip, this is a game you would think the Knicks would bring it to win. That was just not the case.

More from New York Knicks

The Knicks had a lackluster performance against the Magic as they brought no intensity to the defensive side of the ball. The Knicks were without Porzingis for the second consecutive game because of a sore Achilles’ but there is little he would have done to help the Knicks out tonight.

The Magic got whatever they wanted on the offensive side of the court against the Knicks. They shot 49.5 percent overall from the field and scorching 48.4 percent from deep. The Knicks were just leaving players wide open, as the Magic lit them up from deep.

The Knicks just do not have the athleticism and team defense to keep up in scramble situations. Whenever a team is moving the ball well on the perimeter the strongest of defensive units will struggle; when you can’t play defense, such as the Knicks, it looks even worse.

Jodie Meeks led the onslaught for the Magic, as he shot 6-of-7 from beyond the arc. Four of five Magic starters hit multiple three-pointers, as Serge Ibaka, Aaron Gordon, and D.J. Augustin all made multiple threes.

Inside the arc the Knicks were undone by Nikola Vucevic and Elfrid Payton. The center and point guard are two players the Magic are looking to trade, but they showed they can still help the Magic win games. The two were removed from the starting lineup November 25th as Frank Vogel wanted to change things up and both have responded rather well.

Against the Knicks, Vucevic was unstoppable inside. He shot 7-of-11 for 14 points, adding 13 rebounds five assists, and two steals. Payton broke down the Knicks defensive constantly, making 6-of-12 from the field for 13 points. He also had a double-double, handing out 14 assists with three rebounds, one steal, and one block.

Without Porzingis in the lineup, the Knicks just didn’t have enough firepower to keep up. Carmelo Anthony shot only 6-of-17 from the field for a team-high 19 points. Derrick Rose scored 18 points on 8-of-15 from the field.

The Knicks had five players score in double-figures in the game, which is nice to see. But the defense remains a huge problem for them. It does not matter how many points you score if you cannot stop anyone on the other end of the court.

Next: New York Knicks 30 Greatest Players Of All-Time

People will point to the success of the Houston Rockets that offense can get wins. But, as any Knicks fan saw in both games against the Rockets this season, they can get stops when they need them.

Home/New York Knicks