Kristaps Porzingis had 20 points and nine rebounds, and Derrick Rose added 19 points to help the New York Knicks cruise to a 101-90 victory over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night.
Facing an Orlando team adjusting to playing with a smaller lineup, the Knicks used their superior size to their advantage all night. Porzingis, who missed the previous two games with a sprained right ankle, presented matchup problems for the Magic when they attempted to put their big men on him outside and he took the smaller players inside.
Carmelo Anthony had 17 points and Justin Holiday added 14 off the bench for the Knicks. Lance Thomas scored 11.
The Magic, coming off a home win over Atlanta on Saturday, endured a setback as they attempt to shift to a smaller lineup late in the season. Evan Fournier led four Orlando players in double figures with 22 points.
Terrence Ross, playing his third game since being traded to the Magic, finished with six points on 3-of-10 shooting.
After leading throughout, the Knicks began to pull away late in the third quarter as they increased their advantage to 16 points. Holiday hit some big shots during the final six minutes, including a 3-pointer that put New York ahead 79-63 late in the period.
Struggling to match up against the Knicks' size, Orlando fell behind by as many as 12 in the first half before heading into halftime trailing 60-51. The Magic didn't have an answer for Porzingis, whether it was 7-foot Nikola Vucevic or the 6-9 Jeff Green.
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Porzingis led the Knicks with 14 points to go with six rebounds in the first half. Rose also had a strong half with 11 points as he consistently beat Orlando's guards off the dribble.
TIP-INS
Knicks: C Willy Hernangomez did not play after injuring his ankle Monday against Toronto.
Magic: Vucevic left late in the fourth quarter with an apparent right knee injury. ... Point guard C.J. Watson missed his third straight game with a sore Achilles. He last played Feb. 15 against San Antonio. ... The Magic fell to 10-20 at home. ... Orlando has not won back-to-back games since defeating the Los Angeles Lakers on Dec. 23 and Memphis on Dec. 26.
UP NEXT
Knicks: At the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday.
Magic: Host the Miami Heat on Friday.
