The Knicks’ magic performed against the faltering Magic.
The Knicks condemned a third quarter from hell when their three-game losing streak in Fantasyland was broken by an injured Orlando group, 107-89, in front of 4,000 fans Wednesday night at Amway Center.
The Knicks (14-16) missed 15 straight shots in the second half to ruin their chances of moving to a record of 500. They scored just 33 points in the second half.
Derrick Rose and Immanuel Quickley, the new electric point guard / bench combination, were disastrous and combined to shoot 2-for-22.
The 32-year-old Rose killed the Knicks with his second straight night (1-for-10, four points), without the spark and shooting of his previous Knicks games.
Rose’s bad night was part of a bloodbath for the Knicks bench that was on fire.
Meanwhile, Quickley had his worst night as a pro, missing his first 11 shots and finishing 1-for-12.
After being schooled by the Knicks in the first half, the Magic knocked them out 30-14 in the third quarter. Terrence Ross (30 points) struck with a three-pointer in the final seconds to give the Magic an 83-70 lead after three quarters.
Orlando outscored the Knicks to loose balls and long setbacks. The Magic, the least accurate shooting team in the NBA, knocked out 16 of 34 three-pointers.
The Knicks were icy and shot 38.4 percent overall.
Julius Randle, who was a night of 44 points, scored figures (25 points) but could not carry the Knicks in the second half when they scored 16 points in the first 16 minutes of the half.
The Knicks eventually missed injured center Mitchell Robinson, his skin protection and choices on offense. He will be out after the hand operation until at least mid-March.
Oddly enough, RJ Barrett, who had an OK game, did not play the fourth quarter until 3:35 left, when the game was already an outburst.
The Knicks’ hat-trick against the Wizards, Rockets and Hawks deserves a reservation. The Wizards were without superstar Bradley Beal (rest). The Rockets played without their two best players, Christian Wood and Victor Oladipo. And the Falcons, who are expected to be playoff candidates, have suffered a plethora of injuries and are 11-16.
Against the Magic, the Knicks jumped to a quarter to a 32-23 lead when Randle struck five of his first six shots and all three of his three-pointers. He smiled back at each other, perhaps still amazed at his season-long warm hand.
The smile is wiped from his face. Orlando warmed up from the three-point series, hitting 8 of 18 yards and closing out halftime to 56-53, despite Randle’s 17 points in the first half.