Knicks Ousted Late in Orlando

By | 2016-10-28T17:59:11-08:00 February 13th, 2015|News|Comments Off on Knicks Ousted Late in Orlando

On the final night before the All-Star break, Coach Derek Fisher was looking to see his team come up with a win on the road to carry some momentum into the long break. But with star scorer Carmelo Anthony sidelined, the Knicks couldn’t come up with the clutch buckets they needed.

A lingering knee injury that has cost Anthony several games this season kept him out of the lineup for the 13th time this season on Wednesday, and absent their leading scorer and top late-game performer New York couldn’t keep up with the Orlando Magic in the closing minutes. Orlando scored 14 of the game’s last 22 points to squeak out an 89-83 victory.

New York Knicks v Orlando Magic

“I thought the effort was there, we just couldn’t finish it off,” Derek said. “We didn’t have our closer out there, we had some guys who weren’t comfortable trying to squeeze that one out for us.”

The Knicks and the Magic were all knotted up at 75 inside the final five minutes at Orlando’s Amway Center, but after a controversial foul call went the way of the home team, the tide turned. From there, Orlando rattled off an 8-0 run and never looked back.

“They made more plays than us down the stretch,” Coach Fish said. “But the game was tied 75-75 with four minutes to go…I definitely think that changed the momentum, in my opinion. But you still have to give the Magic credit for making more plays and more shots than us down the stretch.”

The Knicks were cooking early behind some outstanding play from center Jason Smith. The Colorado State product went 9-of-12 from the floor for 21 points and added six rebounds in the first half alone. He finished just shy of a double-double with 25 points and seven boards.

It was Smith’s best performance to date for the Knicks, but it came as just a part of a recent resurgence for the seventh-year player. Afterward, D-Fish complimented the excellent play of his veteran big man recently.

“He has continued to get healthier. His body is feeling like he can go out there and do what he needs to do on both ends of the floor,” Fish said of Smith. “He’s really becoming a stabilizing force for us, not just offensively, but he’s also working hard on the defensive end, rebounding and really becoming one of our veteran leaders in terms of bringing the right effort and mindset every night to the game.”

New York Knicks v Orlando Magic

Behind Smith’s outstanding first half, the Knicks were in front 47-44 at the break. But Orlando’s big man took his turn in the second half. Nikola Vucevic tallied eight points and six boards in the third quarter, and then added eight more in the fourth. He finished with 28 points and 18 boards, and he was the driving force behind Orlando’s second-half comeback.

“He’s an All-Star caliber player,” Fish said of Vucevic. “He has size, strength and can shoot the basketball. He’s a good player. Those guys, you’re not always going to be able to impact their game because of their abilities.”

Vucevic led all scorers and was one of four Magic players to tally double digits. Meanwhile, Smith was one of only three Knicks in double figures. Tim Hardaway Jr. tacked on 10, and Andrea Bargnani, playing in just his third full game of the season, turned in 11 points in just 17 minutes of the bench.

The performance of the veteran big man left Coach Fish hopeful that he can become a cornerstone for the team in the second half of the season.

“Andrea has played two or three basketball games in the last 13 months. He’s looking good,” Derek said. “He made some really good plays out there. As he gets healthier and gets his rhythm back to the game, I think he’s going to be really good for us as we finish up the season.”

New York Knicks v Orlando Magic

Despite the efforts of New York’s two seven-footers, Smith and Bargnani, the Knicks didn’t have enough to close out the victory.

During and after that 8-0 run, Vucevic rattled off his eight fourth-quarter points in succession, leaving the Knicks down 10 for the final minute of play—a deficit from which they simply couldn’t recover.

NEXT UP

The Knicks (10-43) will take a full week off for the All-Star break before picking back up with a practice next Wednesday. As he takes some time to regroup and recharge, Fish revealed to reporters the positive mindset he’ll carry into the break.

“The record isn’t what I’ll reflect on over the nine days, it’ll be more so where we are in this process and how far we have to go, not just because of the record, but of what we’re trying to do,” he said. “We’re changing the culture, we’re changing the way we do things here. That’s going to take time, but I’m still proud of what these guys have done, in recent weeks in particular…We’re going to figure this thing out as long as we stay positive and keep working.”

New York resumes play next Friday when they play host to the defending Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat (22-30). Two days later, they’ll have another crucial East tilt, when they welcome the Cleveland Cavaliers (33-22) to Madison Square Garden.

Friday night’s tip is set for 7:30 p.m. ET, while the Knicks date with the Cavs is slated for a 1 p.m. ET start Sunday. Both games can be seen on MSG.

RELATED LINKS