Julius Randle scored 22 points, including a clutch 14-foot jumper with 1:44 remaining, as the host New York Knicks knocked off the Orlando Magic 105-103 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Randle shot an efficient 10-for-16 from the floor, and his jumper gave the Knicks a 105-98 lead. After Orlando cut the lead to 105-103 on two free throws by Markelle Fultz with 35 seconds left, New York's Reggie Bullock missed a 3-pointer with 12.7 seconds left.
Orlando had a chance to tie the game or regain the lead, but Elfrid Payton stripped Evan Fournier with Randle getting the steal at the top of the key with four-tenths of a second left as the Knicks secured their third straight win after outscoring Orlando 25-13 over the final nine-plus minutes.
Taj Gibson tied a season high with 19 points for New York, which shot 46.7 percent and overcame being outscored 36-22 in the third quarter. Payton had a strong game against his former team, finishing with 15 points, nine assists and a career-high seven steals.
Nikola Vucevic led all scorers with 25 points, but the Magic committed 21 turnovers and lost for the seventh time in eight games. Aaron Gordon, Fournier and Fultz added 16 apiece for Orlando, which shot 45.3 percent overall but went 6 of 15 and committed four turnovers in the fourth quarter.
The Knicks played their first home game since firing team president Steve Mills on Tuesday. They also played the game after trading leading scorer Marcus Morris Sr. to the Los Angeles Clippers before the trade deadline Thursday afternoon.
The Knicks shot 56.5 percent and held a 30-19 lead after forcing seven turnovers in the opening quarter. They took a 50-37 lead on a free throw by rookie RJ Barrett with 2:54 left in the second and led 54-47 lead at halftime.
The third quarter featured five lead changes and three ties, but the Magic ended the quarter on an 9-2 run over the final 2:51 and held an 83-76 edge into the fourth.
Orlando took a 90-80 lead on a putback by Mo Bamba with 9:24 remaining in the fourth, but the Knicks stormed back with an 18-6 run and never trailed again after Randle's 17-footer gave them a 98-96 lead with 4:59 remaining.
--Field Level Media
Orlando | New York | |
Nikola Vucevic 25 | Scoring | Julius Randle 22 |
Markelle Fultz 6 | Assists | Elfrid Payton 9 |
Nikola Vucevic 8 | Rebounds | Julius Randle 8 |
Evan Fournier 8 | Free Throws Made | RJ Barrett 5 |
Michael Carter-Williams 3 | Steals | Elfrid Payton 7 |
Nikola Vucevic 3 | Blocks | Julius Randle 2 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Orlando | 103 | 45.3 | 9-31 | 26-30 | 22 | 39 | 9 | 8 | 21 |
New York | 105 | 46.7 | 6-20 | 13-19 | 27 | 39 | 5 | 12 | 14 |