The Orlando Magic and New York Knicks had clear immediate goals the last time they faced each other.
However, their long-term goal will be even clearer on Sunday night when the Magic host the Knicks in their first game since the NBA Cup.
This will be the second Magic-Knicks showdown in a span of 12 days, set up after both teams were eliminated from the NBA Cup last Tuesday and Wednesday. The Magic fell to the Milwaukee Bucks 114-109 on Tuesday, while the Knicks lost to the Atlanta Hawks 108-100 the following night.
Orlando and New York are now set to play each other four times this season, all between December 3 and January 6. With Orlando in third place and New York in fourth in the Eastern Conference, separated by just one game, these matchups could be crucial for tiebreaker purposes in playoff seeding.
Both teams are expected to look different on Sunday compared to a potential playoff rematch. The Magic have been playing without star forward Paolo Banchero, who is recovering from a torn right oblique. They suffered another blow on December 6 when forward Franz Wagner sustained a right oblique injury against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Wagner is anticipated to miss a month, while Banchero, who was given a four-to-six-week recovery period after his injury on October 30, has not yet returned to practice and is participating in limited basketball activities.
There is hope for the return of forward Jonathan Isaac, who practiced on Friday after missing the previous three games due to a strained right hamstring.
The Knicks’ starting lineup has been notably consistent. The quartet of OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, Jalen Brunson, and Josh Hart have started all 25 games, with Karl-Anthony Towns starting 23 times.
However, the adjustment process, especially on the defensive end, has taken longer than expected for the Knicks, who added Bridges and Towns through offseason trades.
The Knicks are averaging 117.0 points per game, up from 112.8 points per game last season. However, New York ranks fifth in the East and 10th overall, allowing 110.9 points per game compared to 108.2 points per game last season, which was the lowest in the East and second-lowest in the NBA.
In their last game on Wednesday, the Knicks led through the first half but were overtaken in the third quarter, when the Hawks outscored them 34-18, shooting 54.2 percent (13-of-24) from the field and 66.7 percent (4-of-6) from beyond the arc.
