Orlando Magic vs. New York Knicks: facts you should know
We share these data from AM850 Research that will help you better enjoy the game between Magic and Knicks.
Two of the favorites to win the Eastern Conference this season meet at Madison Square Garden: the Knicks host the Magic (AM850, Disney +, 6 pm CDMX / 7 pm ET). This is the first meeting between both teams this season. The Knicks won 3 of the 4 games they played against Orlando last season, their best mark in a season against the Magic since 2016-17, in which they also won 3 games.
Both teams made important changes during the offseason. The Knicks fired coach Tom Thibodeau and replaced him with Mike Brown, while the Magic acquired Desmond Bane in a trade with the Grizzlies.
In the bets of AM850 BET Sportsbook, only the Cavaliers have lower odds of winning the East this season than the Knicks and Magic, but both teams’ odds have increased since the preseason.
Both teams rely heavily on their starters. Orlando ranks 28th in bench scoring (31.7 points per game), while New York ranks 27th (31.9 points per game).
Both teams dominate rebounding frequently and are among the best in second-chance points per game.
Magic, with the impulse of a memorable moment
The Magic are coming off a winning basket at the buzzer Desmond Bane against the Trail Blazers. According to B.asketball-Referencewas the fourth game-winning three-pointer in Magic history.
The other three-pointers that decided games for the Magic were from Cole Anthony in 2021, Jameer Nelson in 2011 and Hedo Turkoglu in 2008.
Orlando has had an irregular start, but at this point they maintain a record similar to that of their last three seasons. In 2023-24, they went 6-5 in their first 11 games, in the next two seasons they opened 5-6.
His profile is very different, with greater scoring capacity but worse defense. The Magic finished in the top 3 in defensive efficiency in each of the last two seasons, but currently rank 15th.
Some notable changes to Orlando’s defense
Opponents play faster. They face an average of 100 possessions per game on defense. Last season, Orlando faced 95.5 possessions per game on defense, the fewest in the NBA according to GeniusIQ.
Likewise, the Magic are allowing 17.6 points per game on the fast break this season, 27th in the NBA. Last season, they allowed 13.9, the sixth-best mark in the NBA.
Opponents are shooting 47% from mid-range this season, after limiting them to 41% last season, even though the quality of those shots is virtually identical, according to GeniusIQ.
Orlando ranks 19th in offensive efficiency, which is a significant improvement over any other season under Mosley.
No team has more free throws per game than Orlando (32.5) or a higher percentage of points from free throws (22%) this season.
Shooting remains a problem. They rank 29th in three-pointers made per game (10.5) and only make 33% of their three-pointers.
Orlando’s starting quintet, made up of Suggs, Bane, Wagner, Banchero and Carter Jr., has a differential of +43 this season, the third best among all quintets. All the other quintets have received 42 fewer points.
On Wednesday, Paolo Banchero will turn 23 years old. Only two players in Magic history have more points before turning 23 than the forward’s 4,688: Dwight Howard (5,840) and Shaquille O’Neal (5,944).
Only four players in Magic history have scored more than 30 points on their birthday: Hedo Turkoglu (39), Troy Hudson (34), Shaquille O’Neal (32) and Jameer Nelson (31).
Banchero had a slow start to the season, but is having a great November, with a field goal percentage of over 50%. Banchero has had an exceptional performance as a visitor, scoring more than 20 points in the 5 games he has played away from home this season.
It is the second longest streak to start a season in Magic history, surpassed only by Shaquille O’Neal’s streak of 9 consecutive games in the 1994-95 season. By the way, Banchero has scored more than 20 points in three games at Madison Square Garden.
He has played 97 direct isolation plays this season, fourth most in the NBA. Orlando scores 0.96 points per Banchero direct block, ranking him 42nd out of 61 players with at least 25 direct isolation plays, according to GeniusIQ.
How the New York Knicks get to this game
The Knicks sit second in the Eastern Conference with a 7-3 record, their best start to a season through the first 10 games since the 2012-13 season (they started 8-2 and finished 54-28).
Madison Square Garden has been a great support for the Knicks this year. They have a 7-0 record at home, the seventh time in franchise history they have started a season with seven consecutive home wins (the last time they did it was in the 2012-13 season, with a 10-0 start).
Through 10 games, the Knicks are 7-0 at home and 0-3 on the road. This is the latest result in a season in which they were undefeated at home and winless on the road (excluding neutral court games).
The first results of the management of Mike Brown as a head coach they have been promising.
A major change for the Knicks has been their starting five. Mitchell Robinson has been a starter alongside Karl-Anthony Towns when he has been healthy (4 games), while Josh Hart He hasn’t started yet (he started 77 games last season).
Towns and Robinson have outscored their opponents by 30 points in 26 minutes on the court together. This duo played 47 minutes together last season and had a differential of +5 in that period.
Handover after bounce passes have increased considerably. The Knicks averaged 23.2 handoffs per 100 possessions last season (17th in the NBA). This season, they’re up to 38.9, the most in the NBA according to GeniusIQ.
The Knicks are shooting 3-pointers frequently, scoring 17.0 per game, the most in the NBA along with the Cavaliers. Last season, they scored 12.6 per game, the 24th best average in the NBA. According to GeniusIQ, they lead the league in catch-up 3-pointers and corner 3-pointers per game this season.
The Knicks were one of the best clutch teams in the NBA last season, going 19-12 (.613). This season, their record is 1-3.
The Knicks will play the second game of a two-night series on Wednesday. Last season, his record in those games was 6-9 (.400).
Jalen Brunson is off to the best scoring start of his career in the first 10 games (27.7 points per game, 277 points total). He is one of only two players in franchise history to average 25 points and 5 assists per game in the first 10 games of a season (Richie Guerin: 1961-62).
With 23 points tonight, Brunson would set a new personal record for the fastest to reach 300 points in a season (2024-25: Reached 300 points in game number 12 of the season). Only four players in franchise history have scored 300 points in the first 11 games of a season.: Kristaps Porzingis (2017-18: 334), Patrick Ewing (1989-90: 303), Bernard King (1984-85: 328) and Richie Guerin (1961-62: 302).
In his first season under Brown, Brunson’s role has changed slightly, according to GeniusIQ. His dribbles per touch average has decreased: 4.5 dribbles per touch in the 2025-26 season, down from 6.0 in the 2024-25 season. His average touch time has also decreased: 4.8 seconds per touch in the 2025-26 season, down from 6.1 in the 2024-25 season.
He has used an average of 19.2 direct blocks per game this season, compared to 25.9 direct blocks per game last season. So far this season, he is making 7.4 direct passes per game. Last season he averaged 4.9 per game.
A new role for KAT
The numbers of Karl-Anthony Towns They have dropped this season, with lower scoring (20.7 points per game) and worse efficiency (43% on field goals, 33% on three-pointers; in his first season with the Knicks, he recorded 53% on field goals and 42% on three-pointers).
Towns has dominated rebounding this season. He has had at least 10 rebounds in all 10 games, tying the longest streak by a Knicks player at the start of a season in the last 50 years, which he held Charles Oakley (1989-90).
The Knicks have performed wonderfully with Towns as a blocker. They have averaged 1.07 points per screens with Towns in that position, the ninth-best average in the NBA this season according to GeniusIQ (minimum 100 screens).
