Knicks at Magic
Nikola Vucevic is dominating opponents, and the Orlando Magic are along for the ride. Vucevic on Sunday will lead the surging Magic into a matchup with the visiting New York Knicks, who know all about the big man's solid start to the season.
The Swiss center scored a season-high 36 points on 15-of-23 shooting to go along with 13 rebounds in Saturday's 130-117 win over the Los Angeles Lakers, recording his 10th double-double - one of which came in a victory at Madison Square Garden last Sunday. "Just being aggressive," Vucevic told FS Florida in a postgame interview on Saturday. "First half, I made some decisions that were too quick, rushed some of my shots. Third quarter, just got going. I was able to be aggressive, I was able to go a little bit on their bigs." Orlando buried 17 3-pointers and forced 19 turnovers in its 115-89 rout of the Knicks in their previous matchup. That result is part of a four-game losing streak for New York during which it has allowed an average of 125 points, including 41 in the fourth quarter of Friday's 129-124 loss at New Orleans.
TV: 6 p.m. ET, MSG (New York), FS Florida (Orlando)
ABOUT THE KNICKS (4-12): Coach David Fizdale elected to start rookie Allonzo Trier in place of Noah Vonleh on Friday in an effort to speed things up offensively, and the 124-point outburst should give the starting unit another look. "After tonight, I can't switch this one up," Fizdale told reporters after his team had its best scoring output since the season opener. "I have to give them a chance to see if they can keep some consistency." Tim Hardaway Jr. led the way with 30 points and Trey Burke added 23 on 10-of-13 shooting.
ABOUT THE MAGIC (8-8): With a great chance to go over .500, enthusiasm is building for a team that has finished with a losing record in six straight seasons - but the work is far from finished. "All you think about is getting better," coach Steve Clifford told reporters. "The big picture thing is, obviously we feel like we can be fighting for the playoffs, but that's only going to happen if you're playing in a manner where you're giving yourself a chance to win each night." D.J. Augustin helped give his team a chance Saturday with 22 points and seven assists in 27 minutes.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Magic SG Terrence Ross scored a game-high 22 points while making 5-of-8 3-pointers in the win over the Knicks last Sunday.
2. Vucevic is averaging 29 points and 11.7 rebounds over his last three games.
3. Knicks PG Emmanuel Mudiay is shooting 58.8 percent as a starter and 44.9 percent when coming off the bench.