Mike Brown remains confident Knicks can be good defensive team after loss to Magic

The Knicks were in a back-and-forth bout against the Magic on Saturday until the fourth quarter started.

New York entered the final frame down just five points and cut it to three in the opening minutes of the fourth when the Magic put an end to the comeback with an offensive explosion. Orlando picked apart the Knicks defense, cutting to the basket for easy buckets and hitting their threes. At the same time, the Knicks’ offense became stagnant, allowing the Magic to build a lead as large as 18 points.

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Even though Jalen Brunson tried to will a comeback, cutting the deficit to 12, it was too little too late as the Knicks waved the white flag and took a 133-121 loss.

Digging deeper into the numbers of the game, the Knicks’ defense allowed 64 points in the paint as the Magic shot 55 percent from the field and 39 percent from three for the game. And the Magic made it look easy.

“We got to do a better job of taking care of the paint,” head coach Mike Brown said after the loss. “We didn’t do a great job of taking care of the paint tonight, 64 points in the paint, that’s what they do. Thirty free throw attempts. That’s what they do, so we have to do a better job in that area while trying to take care of the ball, but give those guys a lot of credit for stepping up and creating some separation late in the ball game.”

The Magic are known for their physical style on offense and defense. It was that physicality that dominated the Knicks the first time they played each other this season, that time at MSG. Brown made his disappointment in his players known after that loss, saying the Magic “kicked our a–“, but this time was different for the first-year Knicks coach.

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Brown pointed out how it was just a one-possession game in the fourth quarter when he took out Jordan Clarkson and Magic forward Franz Wagner went on a heater.

“As a group, we got a little deflated, and like I said, you got to give Orlando credit, they pounced on us,” Brown said. “We needed to do a better job of playing through their run during that time.”

Wagner put up a game-high 37 points, which was also his season-high. On Saturday, the…

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Publish date : 2025-11-23 02:25:00

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