Magic go for 6 wins in a row at NY
The Magic, at 18-22, coming off a great OT win against Philly, go to Madison Square Garden tonight to face the Knicks, who, at 13-27, are trying to avoid their 7th loss in a row. The Magic are getting no respect from the oddsmakers, as they are 4 pt underdogs going into the game, but have had a great amount of success against NY the last two years. They've won 6 of their last 7 against NY and 3 in a row at MSG. Here's the key to the game: in two wins against the Knicks this year, the Magic have gone to the FT line 73 times! In this 5 game winning streak, the Magic have done an excellent job of drawing fouls and getting to the FT line, so look for that trend to continue tonight. Also, the Knicks are leading the league in TOs committed, averaging 17.4 per game. The Magic have to keep Stephon Marbury under control, as he's averaging 19 pts and 7 assists. He's coming off a sprained shoulder, so he won't be a hundred percent but will play. Jamaal Crawford (14.7 pts), Channing Frye (14.2 pts), and Eddy Curry (14.7 pts 6.6 rebs) are also averaging in double figures. At TDW on Dec. 28th, in a 10 pt Magic win, Curry had a huge game, with 29 pts and 9 rebounds before having to leave with an injury. Battie, with help from Howard, will have to play solid defense in the low post to prevent another monster game by Curry. Can the Magic add to their winning streak after a tough OT win last night? It's going to take another good team effort and the guys will have to step up like they've been doing... Go Magic!
posted by Mike from Illinois @ 1:55 PM
4 Comments:
At 2:25 PM,
WeRDevos said…
2nd games of back to back road games are tough on NBA teams. Starters have been racking up minutes as a unit lately as they have played well together.
Radio says Nelson is likely to be held out for precautionary reasons.
This is a completely different Magic than the team that beat the Knicks on 12/28. Hill, Nelson & Cato are out, replaced by Dooling & Diener. Garrity played 8 awful minutes in that win (all zeros! did they let him touch the ball?) and now gives a solid 19 minutes 10 pts off the bench. Hedo played 21 minutes off the bench and now is a 40mgp stud as a starter.
At 3:07 PM,
Matt said…
I like our chances against NY if the team does not relax after an emotional win. I don't put much weight on back-to-back factor, since results' statistics are mixed on that. Should we win, with CHI and WAS playing tonight, if WAS loses we will tie them up for the 8th spot, and if CHI loses we will extend our lead over them. We need to control Marbury (with Deshawn and Keyon) and control Cury between Dwight and Battie(hopefully Kasun would be involved, as well). Crawford is a streaky shooter and we cannot let him go off on us. I don't know what oddmakers are basing their numbers on, but it is not scientific for sure.
At 4:24 PM,
Big Figure said…
Things for the magic pretty much dont change on a nightly basis,if they play their game,they can play with anybody,and the knicks are no exception,again dwight & tony will be key defending the paint,seems like two games in a row battie has come up with a crucial block in the late minutes,off of the opposing teams drbble drive,last night it was iverson that got it stuffed by a battie & dwight tagg team,new york is nowhere near as relentless as A.I. so tonight's game should be a little easier,if coach uses his whole bench,then guys should be fresh in the fourth to come away with another victory in new york,magic win by 8 or 10 pts in regulation! On offense everybody has been aggressive,so why change now,attack the basket and make free throws and this game should be dominated by the magic throughout!
At 11:10 PM,
Matt said…
This was an embarrassing loss. Mental preparation is a big part of any game ritual. How many times has it happened that Magic has come out of the gate and had no idea what they were supposed to do? Did you see that lack of defense and the offensive futility that left them behind by too much to overcome? Couldn’t anybody tell them that instead of pounding the floor they had to pass the ball? Noooooooooo. It’s a shame but you get what you pay for!
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