21 points in the final quarter: Wagner’s late show deepens the Knicks’ crisis

Franz Wagner led the Orlando Magic to their first win of the season with 21 points in the final quarter. Tristan da Silva contributed 19 points in the 111–102 victory over the New York Knicks. The Knicks remain winless after three games.

For a long time at Madison Square Garden, it looked as though the Knicks were set for their first win of the season. In front of 19,812 spectators, the hosts started with a 12–0 run, with Jalen Brunson (28 points, 12/28 FG), Josh Hart and OG Anunoby (22 points, 3/6 three-pointers) scoring at will. The Magic’s first points didn’t come until just under five minutes had passed, when Wendell Carter Jr. converted two free throws following a flagrant foul by Anunoby. Tristan da Silva (19 points, 5/9 three-pointers) scored five points in the first quarter. Jalen Richardson’s three-pointer two seconds before the buzzer made the score 28–21.

In the second quarter, Orlando found their rhythm from the three-point line. Nikola Vucevic, Jamal Cain, da Silva and Black each scored from distance in the first three minutes or so, whilst Jalen Suggs levelled the score at 35–35 with a lay-up. The teams went into the break with the score almost level (52–48).

After the break, the home side pulled away once more. Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns (22 PTS, 14 REB) went on a 9–0 run to make it 63–53, whilst Carter was charged with a technical foul. Then da Silva took charge: the 25-year-old scored eight points in the third quarter, including two three-pointers. Black’s long-range shot to make it 70–69 brought Orlando within a single point.

Wagner stepped up in the final quarter, scoring 21 points

In the final quarter, the Knicks initially kept the pressure on. Anunoby scored eight points within a minute, including a three-point play and a floater that made it 86–76. Following the Magic’s time-out, Franz Wagner (23 PTS, 13 REB, 9 AST) put on a show. The Berlin native drove to the basket time and again, converted four free throws in a row, picked up loose balls and, with 7:25 minutes remaining, put the visitors ahead for the first time in the match with a three-point play (86–87). Wagner scored 13 points during a 15–3 run.

Black followed up with his fifth three-pointer, and Wagner extended the lead to 94–102 with two lay-ups. Bane sealed the victory by converting four free throws in the final 19 seconds. Wagner scored a whopping 21 of his 23 points in the final quarter, which Orlando won 40–27.

The three-point shooting made all the difference: the Magic made 18 out of 42 attempts (43 per cent), whilst the Knicks managed just nine out of 38 (24 per cent). Furthermore, Orlando’s bench outscored the Knicks’ by a clear margin of 47–11, with da Silva and Black alone combining for 37 points. New York also left points on the table from the free-throw line (17/24), with Brunson making just three out of six attempts.

For Orlando, this was their first win of the season in their third game (1–2), whilst the Knicks are still waiting for their first victory (0–3) following defeats against Philadelphia, in Boston and now against Orlando. This means they are currently among the four winless teams in the Eastern Conference, alongside Miami, Milwaukee and Brooklyn. New York’s next fixture is on Wednesday night (28 October, 1 am German time) with a home game against the Detroit Pistons. The Magic are away to the Toronto Raptors on Thursday night (29 October, 0.30 am) and will face the Canadians again in Toronto two days later in the NBA Cup.