Knicks with the Knack: Takeaways from big NBA Cup win over Magic

The Knicks claimed their third consecutive victory on Tuesday night against the Orlando Magic in a 121-106 win. They have officially been crowned as the winners of East Group A in the NBA Cup in-season tournament, which included other teams such as the Magic, Nets, Hornets, and Sixers.

New York will now advance to the quarterfinals where they will face the Atlanta Hawks on Dec.11 at Madison Square Garden. Here are a few takeaways from the win:

Karl-Anthony Towns is a double-double machine

Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns had his 18th double-double of the season, putting up 23 points and 15 rebounds. The fact that Towns is already at 18 double-doubles is quite impressive compared to  having just 22 last season on the Minnesota Timberwolves.

That just goes to show the immense impact he’s been having on the Knicks consistently. He’s currently the second highest scorer on the Knicks behind guard Jalen Brunson with 25.1 points per game. He’s also the leading rebounder for the Knicks as well as the entire NBA with 13.1 rebounds a game.

Tuesday night, he got the crowd riled up with a few plays including a heated moment between him and Orlando Magic center Moritz Wagner. The sequence occurred late in the second quarter when Wagner fouled Towns and proceeded to clap which resulted in Towns clapping back and staring down Wagner for 10 seconds. This amped up the crowd and demonstrates why Towns has easily become a fan favorite here in New York. His physicality and toughness has been on display since he’s become a Knick.

Miles McBride showing why he’s the 6th Man of the Year 

Knicks backup guard Miles McBride had another significant game in the win against Orlando. He put up 18 points and four assists in just 25 minutes of action.

This is the third consecutive game that McBride has scored in double-figures as he continues to have a huge impact off the bench. While the Knicks have not been relying heavily on their bench, as they are currently last in the league with total bench points, it’s still clear that McBride is a dominant factor for the team.

McBride was especially feasting from the 3-point line in the win where he shot 5-of-7. McBride is up to shooting 43 percent behind the arc while also attempting more threes compared to last season. 

The trio of wings shined on both ends of the court

Knicks wings Josh Hart, OG Anunoby, and Mikal Bridges all had quality performances in the win. Hart had a triple-double, putting up 11 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists. This was Hart’s eight triple-double as a Knick, as he’s now ranked fourth all time in total triple-doubles for the franchise.

The 29-year old has become a clear fan favorite for the Knicks and it’s because of performances like this where he puts in so much effort and hustle to do everything on the court. After having a breakout game on Monday, making a career-high seven threes against the Pelicans, Bridges had yet another impactful performance with 19 points, five assists, and two steals.

For fans, it’s relieving to see Bridges get into this offensive rhythm after he had been previously struggling shooting-wise. Anunoby, the last core piece of the wings trio, had a quality night as well putting up 18 points and two blocks. After scoring a season-high 40 points back on Nov. 25, Anunoby had cooled down recently, scoring under 10 points the last three games.

Therefore fans were ecstatic to see another great offensive performance from the forward last night. Not only did this trio have a proficient scoring night, they got it done on the other end of court as well. Bridges and Hart combined for five of the team’s six total steals. They also held the Magic to just 9 made three pointers after they had previously sunk 25 in their last game against the Brooklyn Nets. Overall the Magic shot just 23.1% behind the arc, and this was a major accomplishment by the Knicks wings who limited their perimeter shooting. 

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