The magic of the Knicks ran against the faltering magic.
A third quarter of hell condemned the Knicks when their Fantasyland three-game winning streak was cut short by an injury-ridden Orlando squad, 107-89, in front of 4,000 fans at Amway Center on Wednesday night.
The Knicks (14-16) missed 15 consecutive shots in the second half to ruin their chance to go to a .500 record. They scored only 33 points in the second half.
Derrick Rose and Immanuel Quickley, the new electric point guard / bench combo, were disastrous, combining to shoot 2-for-22.
32-year-old Rose killed the Knicks with his second straight-off night (1-for-10, four points), without the spark and shotmaking of his previous Knicks games.
Rose’s crappy night was part of an anemia show in front of the Knicks’ bench, which had been on fire.
In the meantime, Quickley had his worst night as a pro, missed his first 11 shots and finished 1-for-12.
After being schooled by the Knicks in the first half, the Magic hit them, 30-14, in the third quarter. Terrence Ross (30 points) hit in a 3-pointer in the final seconds to give the Magic an 83-70 lead after three quarters.
Orlando beat the Knicks to lose balls and long rebounds. The Magic, the least accurate shooting team in the NBA, cleared 16 of the 34 3-pointers.
The Knicks were freezing, firing a total of 38.4 percent.
Julius Randle, on a night of 44 points, got grades (25 points), but couldn’t carry the Knicks in the second half when they scored 16 points in the first 16 minutes of the half.
The Knicks ultimately missed the injured center Mitchell Robinson, his rim protectors and attackers. He will be free at least in mid-March after hand surgery.
Strangely enough, RJ Barrett, who had a great game, didn’t play the fourth quarter until 3:35 was over, when the game was already a blowout.
The Knicks’ three-game winning streak, against the Wizards, Rockets and Hawks, deserved a caveat. The Wizards were without superstar Bradley Beal (halftime). The Rockets played without their two best players, Christian Wood and Victor Oladipo. And the Hawks, expected to be playoff contenders, have suffered a plethora of injuries and are 11-16.
Against the Magic, the Knicks jumped to a 32-23 lead after a quarter when Randle hit five of his first six shots and all three are 3-pointers. He smiled after each one, perhaps still stunned by his hot hand of the season.
The smile was wiped from his face. Orlando warmed up from three runs, hit 8 of 18 treys and closed 56-53 at half time despite Randle’s 17 runs in the first half.