Magic drop home opener to Knicks, 121-96
ORLANDO, Fla. — Orlando had hoped for a home-court advantage when the Magic took to the floor of the Amway Center for the first time this season against the New York Friday night. But it was the Knicks who capitalized on the energy brought by a large contingent of New York fans as they cruised to a 121-96 blowout win.
It was the second straight double-digit loss for the Magic (0-2), who led 9-6 before falling behind 36-16 after the first quarter. New York’s biggest lead was 31 points midway through the second quarter.
The Magic cut the lead to 19 with 4:19 left in the 3rd quarter but the Knicks (2-0) were able to push their advantage back up to 22 points heading into the fourth.
Franz Wagner scored eight of his team-high 16 points in the third period.
Orlando struggled to get much going offensively, shooting 33 of 83 (39.8%) from the floor. It was the second consecutive game in which the Magic shot less than 40%.
Mo Bamba picked up where he left off against the Spurs, hitting a pair of 3-pointers to give Orlando an early 9-6 lead but the Knicks went on a series of runs including a 16-0 spurt to end the first quarter. He finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Former Magic guard Evan Fournier, who had 32 points in the Knicks opening win against the Boston Celtics, scored 18 points.
Julius Randle led the Knicks with 21 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.
