The New York Knicks welcome the Orlando Magic to Madison Square Garden. Action begins at 7:30 pm ET on Friday, Feb. 26 and can be seen on MSG and FxF.
The Knicks are expecting a better outcome after their 108-105 loss to the Pacers on Wednesday. Jose Calderon had a good outing, putting up 20 points, four rebounds, and four assists for New York. The Magic, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their 130-114 loss against the Warriors on Thursday. Evan Fournier had a team-high 20 points.
Fournier and Nikola Vucevic have upped their production over the last five games for the Magic. Fournier has averaged 20.2 points, 2.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.4 steals, and 2.6 three-pointers during that stretch, while Vucevic has put up 22.4 points, 11.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.4 blocks.
The Magic have emerged victorious in both games against the Knicks this year, including a 107-99 win the last time these two teams met. Lance Thomas had a standout performance with 24 points, two rebounds, two assists, one steal, and three three-pointers in the loss.
The Knicks have gone 24-35 Straight Up (SU) and 31-27-1 Against The Spread (ATS). Over their last 10 games, they have had success covering the spread (7-3). The Knicks lead the NBA in free throw percentage, shooting an impressive .809 from the free throw line.
In the other locker room, the Magic have a record of 32-24 ATS and 25-31 SU. Orlando has not performed well ATS during its last 10 games, earning a 2-7-1 record.
In their previous meeting this season, Orlando beat New York, bringing the head-to-head record to an even 5-5 SU over the last 10 meetings. The Knicks lead the matchup ATS with a record of 5-4-1.
Predictions: SU Winner – Orl
Notes
On average, Orlando puts up 100.4 points per game (ranked 22nd), while New York allows 101.8 points per game (ranked 13th).
Orlando puts up an average of 98.5 points per away game (ranked 21st), while New York allows 101.7 points per home game (ranked 19th).
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Orlando Magic are a winning 19-8. In games where they score fewer than 100 points, the New York Knicks have a subpar record of 5-28.
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Magic are just 6-23 this season. New York is a solid 19-7 when registering triple digits.
The Magic have an offensive rating of 101.9 (ranked 26th), while the Knicks rank 21st for their defensive rating of 105.8.
The New York Knicks average a field goal percentage of 44.0% this season. The Orlando Magic have a subpar record of 8-23 when opponents have a FG% of 44.0% or greater.
The New York Knicks and the Orlando Magic both rank higher in average field goal percentage when compared to their effective field goal percentages. New York is 27th and 22nd in the league for EFF% and FG% respectively, while Orlando ranks 18th and 14th in these categories.
New York makes an average of 20.3 assists per game (ranked 25th). Orlando ranks higher in assists with 23.1 (ranked seventh).
The New York Knicks average 5.6 blocks per game for a rank of eighth. The Orlando Magic rank lower (15th), earning 5.0 blocks each game.
The New York Knicks rank 15th in offensive rebounding, while the Orlando Magic rank 14th in defensive rebounding.
On average, New York makes 5.8 steals per game. Orlando is a poor 20-31 when it allows at least 5 steals.
