Porzingis leads Knicks to victory over Magic
ORLANDO , Fla. -- Kristaps Porzingis scored 20 points and grabbed nine rebounds in leading the New York Knicks to a 101-90 victory over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night at the Amway Center.
Derrick Rose scored 19 points and added seven rebounds for the Knicks (25-36), who kept their slim playoff hopes alive. Carmelo Anthony had 17 points and nine rebounds.
The Magic (22-39) never got closer than eight points in the second half.
Evan Fournier led the Magic with 22 points. Reserve D.J. Augustin scored 15 points and hit a pair of 3-pointers. Nikola Vucevic, who left the game limping with 1:30 remaining, finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds. He collided with Anthony chasing a rebound and left holding his knee. Aaron Gordon had 10 points.
Knicks reserve Justin Holiday scored 14 points in 16 minutes.
The Knicks led 79-67 going into the fourth. Fournier hit back-to-back 3-pointers early in the third, but the Magic never got closer than eight points in the quarter.
The Knicks led 60-51 at intermission after shooting 50 percent from the field. Anthony hit back-to-back 3-pointers in the first quarter when he had 10 points, and the Knicks led by as many as 11.
Rose sparked a 8-0 run in the second quarter when the Knicks built a 50-41 lead. Porzingis, who led everyone with 14 points in the first half, hit a pair of free throws late in the second quarter for a 60-49 lead.
Fournier led the Magic with 12 points in the first half. The Magic made only 2 of 11 attempts from 3-point range, but shot 45 percent in the first two periods.
NOTES: Magic F Aaron Gordon sustained a bloody nose early in the first quarter when he collided with the back of Carmelo Anthony's head. Both players stayed in the game, but Gordon's nose had to be packed with gauze. ... Knicks F Kristaps Porzingis, the team's second-leading scorer and rebounder, returned to action Wednesday after missing the previous two games with a sprained left ankle. In two earlier meetings with Orlando, the Knicks beat the Magic when Porzingis played and lost to the Magic when he sat out with an injury. ... The Magic were well-rested for Wednesday'sgame, having the three previous days off while the Knicks played Monday night. ... Knicks C Willy Hernangomez missed the game with a sprained ankle. ... Since the All-Star break, the Knicks began using more of the triangle offense favored by team president Phil Jackson. "Phil and I talk about it a lot," coach Jeff Hornacek said earlier Wednesday. "It does give you better balance." ... Little-used Knicks reserve F Maurice Ndour sprained his ankle in the Wednesday morning shootaround and was not available for the game.