New York Knicks vs. Orlando Magic Pre-Game News and Notes April 5

Thursday, April 5th 7:00 P.M. ET 
New York Knicks vs. Orlando Magic 

The Knicks look to bounce back tonight against a banged up Orlando Magic team after a disappointing loss on Tuesday against the Pacers. At 27-27 the Knicks are only 1 game ahead of the Milwaukee Bucks for 8th place in the Eastern Conference. The Knicks will need to forget about what happened in the 4th quarter Tuesday and just concentrate on the Magic tonight. This is the start of very important games in the next week for the Knicks, who after tonight play a home and home series with the Chicago Bulls and play the Milwaukee Bucks next Wednesday. The Knicks have struggled on the road throughout the season, but that has not deterred them much recently, having a record of 7-3 in their last 10 games. 

-Injury Updates 

For what seems like the first time all season, the Knicks will play against a team with their own injury problems mounting. The Knicks will again be without key pieces Jeremy Lin and Amar’e Stoudemire for a few weeks, but Jared Jeffries could play as soon as this weekend. The Magic have their own problems, as Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson are both listed as questionable for tonight. (Update, Dwight Howard is expected to play against the Knicks tonight.) Doubtful for the Magic is starting Power Forward Ryan Anderson. If he is indeed unable to go, look for Glen “Big Baby” Davis to replace him in the starting lineup. 

-Control the Paint 

Last week in the man-handling of the Magic, the Knicks were able to control the paint and contain Dwight Howard. They will have to do so again tonight if they want to come out victorious. With Davis potentially starting for Anderson, the Knicks will have their hands full in the paint. Thus far this season the Knicks have been able to contain Howard because Tyson Chandler is able to guard him for stretches of the game 1-on-1, enabling the Knicks to stay home on the 3 point shooters of the Magic. 

-Contest the 3 point Shots 

The Magic lead the NBA in 3 pointers made and attempted. The Knicks will have to up on their rotations and keep their heads on a swivel to keep up with the Magic’s ball movement. The Knicks must race out and contest on the perimeter tonight if they want to hang with the Magic. Forcing the Magic into deep contested shots should enable the Knicks to get out in the open court and run on a Magic team that lacks explosiveness and athleticism for the most part. 

-Keep up the Pressure 

When the Knicks are able to get out to an early lead they are enable to force their will upon opponents. They play a much more ferocious defense, flying around causing turnovers and steals, getting teams out of their rhythm. Much like last week, the Knicks must capture the lead and maintain the pressure. They seemed to let up off the gas Tuesday against the Pacers and before they knew it they had lost their lead and the game. 

-Take Advantage of the Mismatch 

The Knicks have been employing a small lineup since Amar’e Stoudemire got hurt, moving Carmelo Anthony to the 4 and Landry Fields to the 3 with Iman Shumpert being inserted into the starting lineup. 

This is both a blessing and a curse for the Knicks at times. It works in their favor because no Power Forward in the NBA can keep up with Anthony on the offensive end. The Knicks need to go to Anthony early and often and let him go to work on Glen Davis or Ryan Anderson whoever is starting. He has been playing outstanding the last few games on offense, which only makes it easier for the rest of his teammates. 

The only negative is that the Knicks then have problem on defense, but Anthony has been more than willing to show up on that end of the court also. He has been battling against bigger stronger opponents, sometimes being outmatched, but more than making up for it on the offensive end. 

Another positive is that the small lineup of the Knicks actually gets teams out of their game plan. Tuesday the Pacers were force feeding the post, going down low on 8 of their first 10 possessions, slowing down the game and not playing how they are used to. This caused the Pacers to get out of sync, and the Knicks took advantage for the first 3 quarters. 

Orlando Magics vs. New York Knicks Post Game Recap March 28

Final Score: Orlando Magic 86 New York Knicks 108 

The Knicks have been great under Mike Woodson since he was named interim head coach, but nothing like tonight against a team in the Orlando Magic many consider an NBA title contender. The Knicks blew the Magic out of the water pushing their record under Woodson to 8-1 and also lengthening their lead over the Milwaukee Bucks for 8th place in the Eastern Conference to 2 ½ games. The Knicks also are over .500 now with a 26-25 record. What makes this win even more impressive is that they were able to do it without 2 of their starters in Amar’e Stoudemire and Jeremy Lin and without defensive stalwart Jared Jeffries. 

-Defense, Defense, Defense 

After a first quarter in which the Knicks allowed the Magic to score 29 points, led by 11 from Jameer Nelson, the Knicks put the locks on the Magic. Throughout the last 3 quarters of the game, the Knicks held the Magic to only 57 points, going on a 21-0 run at one point during the 3rd quarter, a quarter in which the Knicks have struggled mightily in throughout the season. The Knicks were able to neutralize the Magic’s 3 point shooting, holding them to 9-26 (it would have been worse if not for a let down at the end of the 3rd quarter into the 4th when the Knicks had a 39 point lead.). Led by Tyson Chandler, the Knicks were also able to effectively shut down Dwight Howard, who was held to only 12 points and 5 rebounds. The rotations were on point, and the Knicks were able to hound the Magic all night leading to a huge victory. 

-Ball Control 

Entering the game tonight, the Knicks were averaging 20 turnovers a game in their last 3 contests. Tonight was a different story, as the Knicks only committed 10 turnovers and were able to dish out 24 assists. The ball movement was impeccable, precise and crisp, leading to numerous open jump shots for everyone on the team. Carmelo Anthony and Baron Davis led the team with 6 assists each. 

-Domination of the Paint 

Against the Orland Magic controlling the paint is no easy task with Dwight Howard around, but that is exactly what the Knicks were able to do tonight. The Knicks controlled the boards to the tune of a 49-34 out-rebounding performance. They also outscored the Magic in the paint 42-30, enabling them to control the game from all facets. 

-Picking up the Slack 

With so many injuries ravaging the team, the Knicks were looking for people to step up, and that is exactly what happened. Carmelo Anthony is going to be relied upon to handle a large portion of the offensive load without Amar’e Stoudemire and Jeremy Lin, and for a second straight game he did not disappoint. Anthony finished with a very efficient 25 points on 9-15 shooting, also adding in 6 assists and 5 rebounds. He seems to finally be finding his rhythm, something he had said he needed to do after the loss in Toronto last week. Anthony was scoring from all over the court, but did the most damage from the post. 

Anthony had help tonight in picking up the slack in the form of Iman Shumpert, who had a career high 25 points to go along with 7 rebounds and 4 assists, playing quite possibly his best game of his short lived NBA career. He brought the normal intense defense that he is known for as well as a great game on the offensive end. Shumpert has been working with Allan Houston on his jump shot coming off screens, and it is evident as he is showing much more confidence in his jumper, as he had another 4 3 pointers tonight against the Magic. 

-Fantastic Bench Play 

The bench once again was a strong point for the Knicks, led by Steve Novak and J.R. Smith. Novak had 16 points and added another 4 3 pointers to his season total, and Smith wasn’t far behind with 12 of his own. Josh Harrellson is still looking to get back to his shooting form, but played great defense against Dwight Howard and was able to corral 8 rebounds of his own. 

The next game for the Knicks is Friday, March 30th against the Atlanta Hawks in Atlanta at 7:30 P.M. ET. It will be a homecoming for Mike Woodson, as he was the coach of the Hawks for 6 seasons.