The Orlando Magic are leaving Las Vegas disappointed after a 132-120 loss to the New York Knicks in the NBA Cup semifinal at T-Mobile Arena.
The Magic had high hopes going into the game that they could win the entire tournament, but their efforts have been halted by the Knicks. Orlando had a three-point lead at the end of the first quarter, but New York responded in a big way, taking a seven-point lead into the locker room.
Jalen Suggs was the leading scorer for the Magic with 25 points in the first half on 10-of-15 shooting. He was matched by Knicks star Jalen Brunson, who had 25 of his own. Unfortunately for the Magic, Suggs could not stay hot in the second half and left the game with a hip injury in the fourth quarter.
Orlando Magic guard Anthony Black drives to the basket as between New York Knicks guard Jordan Clarkson. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Magic can’t get job done in Vegas
The Knicks were able to take advantage in the second half and saw their lead stretch out to double digits. New York was led by Brunson, who scored 40 points to lead the game. Carl Anthony Towns was the second-leading scorer with 27 and OG Anunoby had 21. Mikal Bridges added 14 while Josh Hart had 12.
For the Magic, Suggs finished the game with 26 and former No. 1 overall pick Paolo Banchero had 22. Desmond Bane scored 18, Wendell Carter Jr. dropped 14 and Anthony Black contributed with 12.
It’s a tough loss for the Magic who were undefeated in NBA Cup games up until this point. This was the furthest the team had made it in the in-season tournament in its three-year history, but it is still short of the goal that they had set out for themselves. Now the Magic will head home to go back to the drawing board and move forward in their season.
The Magic are back in action on Thursday when they take on Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets to start a four-game road trip. Tipoff is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET. Fans can watch the game on FanDuel Sports Network or stream it on NBA Week Pass.
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