The New York Knicks hosted the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden and more or less put on a clinic. The Magic brought their stellar 32-18 record to town, but the Knicks were attempting to stay hot, looking for their eighth win in their last night games and the victory that would put them over .500. In the end, that desire won out, as the Knicks overcame a shaky first quarter and coasted to a 108-86 win.
The Magic outscored the Knicks 29-25 in the first quarter, but after that it was all New York. In particular, the Knicks gained their momentum in a 32-12 second quarter and just kept dropping in buckets. They entered halftime with a 16-point lead and opened the second half with a stunning 29-8 run, leading by 39 at one point. The Magic began turning things around at the end of the third quarter and into the fourth quarter, going on a 22-3 run of their own, but still trailed 20 points.
The Knicks were shorthanded, playing without Jeremy Lin and Amar'e Stoudemire due to injuries. They ended up getting key contributions up and down the lineup. Steve Novak put up 16 points in 19 minutes. J.R. Smith had 12 points. Baron Davis contributed 11 points and seven rebounds, while Carmelo Anthony and Iman Shumpert led all scorers by each putting up 25.
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