NBA
ORLANDO, Fla. — It started early in the first quarter, “MVP” was yelling for Jalen Brunson.
Paolo Banchero, a home All-Star, turned to the loudest section and said, not subtly, “Shut up.”
In those early moments, Banchero and the Magic couldn’t do anything to stop them. Brunson was fantastic with 20 of his 33 points in the first quarter. He crossed and changed direction, took shots and did whatever he wanted while playing one of his determined faces.
An All-Star who plays like a superstar.
The problem, which was predictable given the Knicks’ injury situation, was that Brunson had no help.
No one.
And it came quickly to the shocking Knicks in Wednesday’s 118-100 loss to the Magic, their season-high fourth straight loss leading into the Stars’ break.
“We couldn’t handle it,” Tom Thibodeau said.
The Knicks were without six of their top eight players, with an injury toll longer than a Disney World series on Memorial Day. Donte Di Vincenzo (hamstring strain) and Bojan Bogdanovic (neck strain) were the last to feature.
Circumstances left Alec Burks as the Knicks’ starting point guard and best offensive player after Brunson. It was not a winning formula.
After Brunson’s early burst gave the Knicks a 12-point lead, the bench — featuring Taz Gibson and Jacob Toppin — was devastating. He had 20 points in a span of about six minutes in the second quarter. The Knicks (33-22) never recovered.
“Yeah, you know, today was tough,” said Josh Hart, who scored just four points on 2-of-8 shooting. “I think it was just the bodies being tired. … So we’re not going to put too much weight on those losses. You put any team in the league and say, OK, take away four starters or six rotation players, they’re going to struggle.”
Aside from Brunson, who was understandably pursued by the Magic, the Knicks shot just 38 percent. Orlando begged the other Knicks to score and no one stepped up.
Precious Achiuwa was the other positive with 22 points and 14 rebounds. Burks, the newly acquired but old face from the Pistons, shot miserably again (5-for-16). He went 6-for-24 in his two games before the break.
The Knicks dropped 28 points in 30 minutes on Wednesday.
Thibodeau even waved the white flag early to put Branson away for good with 8:21 remaining.
Banchero scored 36 points and finally silenced the Knicks fans who stormed the Kia Center.
The Magic (30-25) have won all three games this season against the Knicks, who greet the All-Star break like Winnie the Pooh greets honey.
“You’re 50 games into your season so we’ve got 27 left after that [Wednesday’s] game,” Thibodeau said. “The guys that have played, they trick you along the way, so I think it’s a welcome break in that respect. You get a chance to recharge, everyone recharges, and then you march down.
“We have to hit the ground running. I’m proud of what our guys have done so far to be able to withstand all that we’ve been through from the tough route at the beginning, trades, injuries. But we still have a long way to go and we have to make sure we’re ready for what’s coming.”
The assumption is that the eight-day rest will bring at least DiVincenzo, Bogdanovic and Isaiah Hartenstein. Julius Randle, OG Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson’s recovery timelines are more difficult and unpredictable.
The Knicks need them ASAP.
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