Tom Thibodo often pushes his knee roster for his versatility, with the ability to drive the offense through all-star power forward Julius Randle and veteran guard Alec Burke if needed.
Such a need was not felt more immediately this season than on Thursday night, when those two players, along with their top three point guards – Elfried Peyton, Derrick Rose and the infamous Emmanuel Quickley – made a 94–93 win over Orlando. Lee faced the Knicks, all unavailable.
Randall recorded his second triple-double in six days and his third of the season with 18 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high 17, as the Knicks went 21-21 again after notching last year’s win (21-21) in the 500. Climbed over. 75). He became the first Naik to record at least three triple-doubles in a season as Michael Ray Richardson posted seven in 1981–82.
Burke moved to the starting lineup and got 21 points with 10 rebounds, while Frank Nitilina also started and finished with 13 points.
General starter Reggie Bulluck also drilled six 3-pointers for 20 points off the bench in 36 minutes and recorded a crucial steal in the closing seconds for the Knucks, who would face the first-place 76ers at the Garden on Sunday.
The Knicks, with 16 points in the third before the 19–2 Magic run, gave Orlando a 75–74 lead in the final quarter. Nikki took the lead on Ntilikina’s corner 3-pointer with 3:49 remaining, and Randall gave a jump of 10–0 as the two jumpers came into play with a 92–87 lead in under two minutes. left.
The Magic won a late jump ball after tying Bullock and had the chance to win the game in their final possession, but the bulls blocked Evan Fornier’s pass with 5.9 seconds remaining.
The Knicks faced the top two teams in the Eastern Conference standings on the road last week, leaving close games in back-to-back nights in Brooklyn and Philadelphia.
Of course, the Nets were without superstar Kevin Durant and played without Severs MVP candidate Joel Embiid. The Nucks were not missing anyone of that caliber in those games, but they did not have Peyton (hamstring) or Rose (health and safety protocols), as well as the continued absence of starting center Mitchell Robinson (hand).
Quickly was added to the injury list on Thursday night, facing out against 76 men on Tuesday, sitting out with an ankle problem.
Sliding Magic (nine straight losses) recovered Fournier (23 points) and Aaron Gordon (17) from injuries, but they were also thin at the point guard spots – without Markel Fultz (knee), Michael-Carter Williams (illness) and Rocky Cole Anthony (ribs).
“The next guy is up, and we’ll see how it goes,” Thibodo said of his team before the game. “That’s right, we have more than enough to win, and we have people who can play multiple positions. When you’re called, get out there and play nice.
“Everyone has work to do and if we do the right thing, we will have a good chance of winning.”
Burke scored eight quick points in the first quarter, but a 15–2 run by the Magic put him in the middle of 10 midway.
Randall missed five of his first six shots, but he assisted seven in the first quarter, surpassing his team’s best game average (5.8) for the season. Barrett missed his final two after his first two shots, leading the Knots to one score of 26-24.
Burke sat down with Nitlikin to open the second spot, and he scored six of the Knicks’ first eight points as they took a 45-44 lead in the intermission.
Ntilikina had missed 16 consecutive shots spanning five games, but had cashed in two 3-pointers – while Bail and Barrett had one updown in the third quarter early. The Knicks increased their lead to 16, but the Magic entered the season in fourth place with a 10–0 run in a 72–66 game.
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