Magic Rally Past Knicks 111-102 as Defending Champions Fall to 0-3: Franz Wagner Scores 21 in the Fourth Quarter
NEW YORK — Franz Wagner scored 21 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter on Sunday night as the visiting Orlando Magic overcame a 10-point deficit in the final nine-plus minutes to beat the defending NBA champion New York Knicks 111-102 at Madison Square Garden, according to Reuters. Wagner added 13 rebounds and nine assists, falling one assist short of a triple-double, as the Knicks became the first reigning champion to open 0-3 since the Dallas Mavericks in 2011-12.
Orlando played without Paolo Banchero, who is expected to miss at least a month with an ankle injury suffered Friday against Minnesota. Desmond Bane scored 22 points and hit the 3-pointer that put the Magic ahead for good with 4:53 left. Tristan da Silva (19 points) and Anthony Black (18) led a Magic bench that outscored New York's reserves 47-11, and Orlando made 18 3-pointers.
Jalen Brunson scored a game-high 28 points for the Knicks, Karl-Anthony Towns had 22 points and 14 rebounds, OG Anunoby scored 22 and Josh Hart added 13. New York opened the game on a 12-0 run and led 86-76 on Anunoby's floater with 9:20 remaining, before Wagner scored nine points in an 11-0 run, capped by the three-point play that gave Orlando its first lead with 7:25 to play.
The win came at a cost: starting point guard Jalen Suggs was helped off the court with an apparent right knee injury after landing awkwardly on a layup attempt with 2:09 left. Orlando improved to 1-2; the Knicks fell to 0-3.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：奥兰多魔术前锋 Franz Wagner（资料照片，2022年）。All-Pro Reels 摄，CC BY-SA 2.0，经 Wikimedia Commons 发布，本图经裁切。/ Franz Wagner of the Orlando Magic (file photo, 2022). Photo by All-Pro Reels, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; cropped.
