Category: Basketball

Warriors' Steve Kerr unsure about Jonathan Kuminga's rehab from knee tendinitis originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Jonathan Kuminga already has missed the Warriors’ last five games due to bilateral patellar tendinitis, and it doesn’t seem like a return to action is imminent.

Golden State coach Steve Kerr shared an uncertain update on Sunday, failing to provide much of a timeline for the young forward’s recovery from what is effectively soreness in both knees.

“He’s got to tell you where he is,” Kerr told reporters when asked about Kuminga’s activity on Sunday [h/t ClutchPoints’ Kenzo Fukuda. “He didn’t do anything. We didn’t do scrimmages, but we did live drill work, and he barely did any of that. So, [he’s] not moving well, so training staff [is] working with him. I have no idea what he’s doing.”

Still, Kerr asserted Kuminga’s status remains day to day.

“Honestly, I just talked to the training staff. They tell me it’s day to day,” Kerr explained. “So, talking to JK, and he said he’s not moving that well, so I can’t tell you what the outlook is.

“JK can tell you that better than I could, so he needs to feel better and be able to move better before we can put him out there. Maybe we’ll get imaging done on the knee, but yeah, we got to figure it out. We missed him. We played in Miami, when we were missing all our guys. The other night, we were tired. We need him, but he’s got to get right before he can play.”

Communication between the Warriors’ staff and Kuminga already has been a hot topic in recent days, and there appears to be some disconnect between Kerr and the promising 23-year-old regarding this ongoing injury.

“I didn’t talk to him today, but I was hoping that he was going to scrimmage today,” Kerr continued after a follow-up question about the exact nature of the ailment. “But he didn’t do that, so it’s obviously worse than we thought.”

Kuminga is averaging 13.8 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 27.7 minutes across 13 games during the 2025-26 NBA season. He started in the Warriors’ first 12 regular-season games before coming off the bench in Golden State’s win over the San Antonio Spurs on Nov. 12.

However, Kuminga reportedly felt like the “scapegoat” as a result of that change in his role, and he hasn’t played in any games since then. Golden State has gone 2-3 in his recent absence with three straight losses as the team tries to get back to winning ways after a hot start to the season.

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Observations after Sixers lose to Heat in 1st game without Edgecombe  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Sixers had a slow start to their Sunday afternoon and never managed to earn a lead against the Heat.

They fell to a wire-to-wire 127-117 defeat at Xfinity Mobile Arena, dipping to 9-7 on the season. Miami moved to 11-6 with its fourth consecutive win. 

Tyrese Maxey posted 27 points and six assists. Andre Drummond scored 14 points and grabbed 23 rebounds.

Norman Powell poured in 32 points. Kel’el Ware had 20 points and 16 rebounds.

Rookie VJ Edgecombe missed his first game with left calf tightness. Sixers head coach Nick Nurse called Edgecombe’s absence “precautionary.” 

The Sixers remained without Joel Embiid (right knee injury management), Kelly Oubre Jr. (left knee LCL sprain) and Adem Bona (right ankle sprain). 

Bona has returned to on-court work but will stay out Tuesday night vs. the Magic, a team official said Saturday. Embiid is still classified as “day-to-day.” Though he’s continued to experience “some soreness,” doctors say he’s progressing, per the official. 

Here are observations on the Sixers’ loss Sunday:

Subpar start without Edgecombe 

Quentin Grimes started for the first time this season and began the day with Maxey, Justin Edwards, Paul George and Drummond. 

The Sixers’ starters struggled. Powell sunk a transition three-pointer to put Miami up 12-5 and scored eight quick points.

Fresh off of his career-high 54-point night against the Bucks, Maxey posted seven of the Sixers’ first nine. Outside of Maxey, however, the Sixers began 0 for 5 from the floor.

The Sixers didn’t have much pace or movement offensively in the first quarter. One reason was the Heat hardly ever handed the Sixers a free opportunity to attack in the open floor. Miami scored the game’s first 13 points off turnovers. Meanwhile, Grimes tallied just two points in the first period. 

Handy 2nd-unit scoring 

Especially when Drummond sat, the Sixers’ lack of size emerged as a big problem early on. 

Second-year center Ware had six offensive rebounds in the first quarter and Jaime Jaquez Jr. got rolling in the post. Miami scored 37 first-quarter points, 22 in the paint, and had a 10-point advantage through 12 minutes. 

The Sixers fell behind by 16 points early in the second … and then surged back with a 16-0 run. 

Trendon Watford had a productive stint, including an and-one layup, and was much better overall than he’d been in Milwaukee with an 19-point, nine-rebound, seven-assist outing. Grimes made a driving layup that evened the game at 49-all. 

Jared McCain also chipped in useful offense off the Sixers’ bench. He scored a season-best 15 points Sunday on 5-for-11 shooting and played a season-high 26 minutes.

The Sixers couldn’t quite grab a first lead of the afternoon. They fouled Powell twice on three-point attempts in the final minute of the second quarter and trailed by four at intermission. 

Heat fend off every run  

The Sixers’ third quarter opened poorly — not an unfamiliar storyline early this season — and Grimes’ foul trouble became a major issue. 

After Grimes picked up his fourth personal with 10:15 left in the third quarter, Nurse kept him in. The 25-year-old guard then fouled Powell yet again on a long-range jumper. He exited with five fouls and a little under nine minutes to play in the third. McCain subbed in. 

The Sixers appeared to be in serious trouble when they went down 85-71 on a put-back Bam Adebayo dunk. Again, they answered right away and prevented the game from getting out of hand.

McCain and Maxey each hit threes during a 10-0 run. A Drummond triple on the Sixers’ last possession of the third quarter cut the Heat’s lead to 99-93.

Grimes checked back in to begin the fourth and scored a couple of layups to trim the Sixers’ deficit to three points. Watford made a coast-to-coast lay-in to bring the Heat’s advantage down to 105-103.

Miami scored the next seven points and soon restored a double-digit lead. While the Sixers kept the game interesting, Miami never trailed and did solid work to capitalize on a strong start, fending off the Sixers’ comeback efforts.

Untimely injuries could impact inconsistent Warriors' hopes of recovery originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO – Coming off three consecutive losses, the Warriors went back to school on Sunday. They spent two hours watching video displaying highlights and lowlights. They studied. They scrimmaged. 

These are things that any NBA team sensing slippage yet still aspiring for a championship ought to do when it’s sitting on a 9-9 record nearly a quarter into the season.

But the Warriors, in addition to the Jonathan Kuminga being on the sideline, also are nursing new wounds. Draymond Green has a foot sprain and could miss the game against Utah on Monday, and Al Horford is coping with sciatica and will miss at least a week.

Asked if the Warriors might assemble their eighth starting lineup of the season Monday, coach Steve Kerr left open the possibility.

“Well, just depends on Draymond’s availability,” he said. 

One week removed from a three-game win streak and hoping to build momentum, the Warriors since have lost the final two games of a six-game road trip, at Orlando and Miami, before coming home Friday seeking recovery, only to get smacked by the sub-.500 Portland Trail Blazers for the second time this season.

The Warriors, eighth in the Western Conference, analyzed all three games, watching “about 40 clips,” according to Kerr, who came away believing the failures are fixable.

“Rebounding killed us,” Kerr said, referring to Portland’s 52-32 advantage on the glass. “But probably five or six egregious defensive errors in communication and scheme, just getting back cut. Basic stuff.

“If you look at the three games as a whole, there were different things each game. In Orlando, the turnovers killed us. In Miami, obviously, we played without a lot of our (starters). We missed shots, but for three quarters, we were solid. And then the turnovers killed us. With Portland, we took care of the ball but had major defensive breakdowns.”

Jimmy Butler III, speaking after the game, implored everyone to be more prideful in their defense. To take matchups personally.

Seems that approach should reduce the number of open 3-pointers and layups Golden State is allowing lately.

“There’s some of that, and activity level often just covers up a blown coverage if you’re flying around,” Kerr said. “There were a lot of clips from the other night where the activity level wasn’t there. There were several missed, back cuts, behind us that shouldn’t happen. Is that fatigue? Is that lack of focus? Is that ‘Hey, let’s take it upon ourselves?’ It could be any of those. I don’t care which one we categorize it as.

“What I care is that we don’t give up a damn back cut with the game on the line, and we gave up several.”

So, where do the Warriors go from here? Depends. Recognizing the need for greater size, Kerr has more frequently turned to lineups featuring two players capable of playing center. He acknowledged Horford’s absence could force the staff to “rethink” that plan.

If Green and Horford, a generally effective duo, are out on Monday, that would leave only Quinten Post and Trayce Jackson-Davis. It’s a young combo but worth a look. Post’s 3-point shooting provides needed spacing, and Jackson-Davis can work the paint, focusing on rebounding and rim protection.

It is evident that the Warriors, ranked 22nd in rebounding, will have a difficult time chasing a championship if they remain in the league’s bottom 10.

It is evident that the Warriors, who rank 26th in number of turnovers committed at 16.9 per game, also must remain focused on limiting the giveaways.

It is evident, too, that Golden State’s season will remain a war on mediocrity unless its weaknesses on defense, particularly at the point of attack and the untimely lapses in concentration, aren’t addressed and corrected.

The cold fact is that with injuries to crucial players being a factor, meeting these challenges becomes increasingly difficult.

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Kevin Durant reportedly will miss Warriors-Rockets NBA Cup game on Wednesday originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Warriors are set for a rematch of their 2025 NBA playoffs first-round series against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday at Chase Center.

However, it appears the visiting Rockets will be without their key offseason addition, who happens to be an old friend of Golden State.

Fifteen-time NBA All-Star Kevin Durant will miss Wednesday’s NBA Cup game due to a family matter, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Sunday, citing sources.

Durant was a major part of two Golden State championship runs in 2017 and 2018 — he led all scorers during the infamous seven-game battle between the Warriors and Rockets in the 2018 Western Conference Finals.

But now, Durant apparently won’t be active for his first opportunity to face his former squad since joining the Warriors’ rival this past offseason. Of course, that move came after these teams squared off in last season’s memorable playoff series, in which Golden State also prevailed in seven games.

According to Charania, the star forward also will miss the Rockets’ matchup on Monday against the Phoenix Suns — another one of Durant’s former teams.

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In the starting lineup, coming off the bench or even on the pickleball court, Marcus Smart knows he can deliver what the Lakers need. So LeBron James’ return and the question of how it could affect his role isn’t slowing down Smart.

“I like to [think of] myself as a Swiss Army knife,” Smart said Saturday as the Lakers prepared for a game at Utah on Sunday. “It's not one thing I do great, but I do everything very well. … People come back, people get hurt. People have great games, have bad games. You have to adjust to whatever the game is calling for at that moment."

With four days to regroup after James made his long-awaited season debut, the Lakers (11-4) want to continue their strong start. Smart had started nine times in a row before James’ return. Smart then played a season-low 17 minutes in Tuesday's 140-126 win against the Jazz at home, scoring five points with three rebounds. He made just two shots, but coach JJ Redick commended Smart’s play off the bench along with the performances of Jake LaRavia, Jaxson Hayes and Gabe Vincent.

Vincent returned from a sprained ankle that cost him 11 games to score six points on two-for-three shooting from three-point range. LaRavia led the bench group with 16 points and four rebounds. He was six for 10 from the field, including two three-pointers.

Signing as a free agent this offseason, LaRavia knew getting to play with James was part of the deal. He had to wait through training camp, the preseason and 14 games to get his wish, but it was worth it. The 24-year-old LaRavia, who was five days shy of his second birthday when James made his NBA debut, knocked down a first-quarter shot off a James assist.

“It was dope to finally get on the court with him,” LaRavia said. “He brings something to this team that I don't think we really had. It's another level of passing ability that he's able to do, and just the force he is on offense in transition and just when he has the ball in his hands.”

Read more:Hernández: LeBron James' 'very unselfish' play shows he can fit in. Will it continue?

The Lakers are tied for the second-fewest transition possessions per game but they've been picking up the pace. Through the first nine games the team was scoring 9.5% of its points in transition. That mark ticked up to 13.4% in the last five games.

Utah (5-10) is one of the fastest teams, averaging 102.6 possessions per game. With pace increasing over the years, the heavier workloads have made minor soft-tissue injuries unfortunate realities in the NBA. They also make extended breaks between games, like the four-day reprieve the Lakers had last week, a major luxury.

In between much-needed rest and efficient practice sessions for a team that has been fully healthy for only a week, the Lakers also used the time for team bonding in the form of a trash-talk-filled pickleball tournament.

Smart and Redick and a third teammate, head video coordinator Michael Wexler — whom Redick anonymously accused of eating during the entire tournament — went to the semifinals. They lost to Luka Doncic and player development coach Ty Abbott. LaRavia and assistant coach Beau Levesque won the championship. Redick raised questions about the fairness of the team pairings.

As with everything involving ultracompetitive athletes, even the innocent pickleball games got heated. Smart was trying to be mindful to not push his limits too much.

“The last thing I need to get out and do is roll my ankle trying to play pickleball,” said Smart, who said he would rather play tennis.

It was still a welcome break from the monotony of the season, Redick said. He graded the experience an A.

“We got through this week without wanting to kill each other,” Redick said with a smirk.

Etc.

Center Deandre Ayton missed practice Saturday because of an illness. He was expected to join the team on the trip to Utah.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Klay Thompson blasts Ja Morant, invokes Gary Payton II 2022 playoffs injury originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Dallas Mavericks might have lost to the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night, but in the case of Klay Thompson vs. Ja Morant, the four-time NBA champion got the last laugh.

First, Thompson actually played in Memphis’ 102-96 win over Dallas at American Airlines Center, and played well, scoring a team-high 22 points.

However, after the final buzzer, Thompson and Morant were seen jarring at each other under the basket before they had to be separated.

It’s unclear exactly what was said, but some online might have deciphered Morant’s message to Thompson.

Thompson, speaking to reporters after the game, was asked what Morant, out with a right calf strain, told him. (h/t ClutchPoints’ Joey Mistretta)

“Nothing of intelligent depth,” Thompson said. “It was really just him running his mouth and he’s been running his mouth for a long time. It’s funny to run your mouth when you’re on the bench. Kind of the story of his career so far, just leaving us wanting more. We all want to see him out there and do his best, but he’s just been letting a lot of other stuff get in the way of that.

“We need that in the NBA, we need our best players out there, and when you’re a star it comes with a great responsibility and I hate to see that go to waste.”

Thompson has a point, as evidenced by this wild stat:

The 35-year-old Thompson has played in 269 games since making his return to the court on Jan. 9, 2022, while the 26-year-old Morant has played in 139 games.

Memphis’ star guard has missed a lot of time, for a variety of reasons. But we don’t have time to get into all of that.

Morant’s trash talk didn’t stop after his on-court incident with Thompson, and the Grizzlies star had one final message when he crashed teammate Cam Spencer’s postgame interview.

“Tell ’em who the best shooter in the house was, it wasn’t bro from Golden State,” Morant said in the background, referencing Thompson.

Spencer scored 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field and 3 of 5 from 3-point range.

Thompson scored 22 points on 7-of-17 shooting from the field and 6 of 12 from 3-point range.

But who’s counting?

Well, Morant is.

The incident between Thompson and Morant appeared to spark after Thompson expressed his frustration with Grizzlies forward Santi Aldama, who appeared to grab Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg’s lower left leg on a play under the basket.

That play, or the dirty nature of it, reminded Thompson of a play involving former teammate Gary Payton II in the Western Conference semifinals series between the Warriors and Grizzlies in 2022. (h/t ClutchPoints’ Joey Mistretta)

“Well, with the tall guy, that’s just not cool,” Thompson said of Aldama’s grab of Flagg. “I’ve seen them do dirty stuff before. I remember in the playoffs 2022, they broke my teammate’s elbow, a dirty hit. That made me think of that. I don’t like seeing that done to a rookie, that’s not cool. I’ll compete with you all day on the basketball court, but don’t be dirty. That’s not it.”

Thompson then re-focused his comments back on Morant.

“And then with Ja, he’s a funny guy,” Thompson added. “He has a lot to say all the time, especially for a guy who rarely takes accountability. But you know what, that’s for another day.”

Mic drop.

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James Harden set a Los Angeles Clippers record with 55 points in the team's 131-116 victory against the Charlotte Hornets.

The 36-year-old guard surpassed the previous Clippers record of 52 points in a game, which had been jointly held by Bob McAdoo and Charles Smith.

Harden's efforts helped the Clippers improve their record to five wins and 11 losses this season, and he said: "The work I put in individually, I do it for the entire team. I'm just trying to find ways to win games."

Elsewhere in the NBA on Saturday, Nikola Jokic put in a fine individual performance of his own, but the Serb's 44 points could not prevent the Denver Nuggets losing 128-123 to the Sacramento Kings - who ended their eight-game losing streak.

Detroit Pistons remain top of the Eastern Conference, having extended their winning run to 12 games - their best sequence since 2004 - with a 129-116 victory against Milwaukee Bucks.

But the Washington Wizards slipped to a 14th consecutive defeat, losing 121-120 to the Chicago Bulls.

NBA results in full

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.

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.

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 Magic scored a season-high in points while three players had their individual season highs. Wagner's 37 to go along with Desmond Bane's 27 and Jalen Suggs' 26 points. 

"For us, we gotta be better," Brunson said of the run that put the game out of reach. "They were getting offensive rebounds, kickout threes. We didn't close that third quarter well. They just went on their run, and then it was too late until we kind of adjusted to it. We gotta start quarters better, we gotta end quarters better. Just not a good showing for us in the second half."

Although the teams matched each other in total rebounds, the Magic had a slight lead on the offensive glass, 11-9, but the players kept going back to the disparity in paint points.

"That’s just a bad job on us," Josh Hart said. "Obviously, there's guys who are out there that we probably could have played off a little bit, and we didn’t do that and we let guys drive across the paint... We gotta watch the film and get better."

Brunson said the team has to do a better job of keeping the ball in front of them on defense, and that starts with him. However, he says the Knicks have to be better at helping each other on defense.

Despite the bad defensive performance, the Knicks remain 9-6 but fall to 1-5 on the road. Brown was asked if he's confident the Knicks' defense can be better, and the coach believes it's possible.

"I'm confident we can be where we need to defensively," Brown said. "We played well in some instances, and we haven't played well, and that's what you kind of go through, especially during this part of the year. So, I do think we can be a really good defensive team. But again, no matter who we throw out there, we gotta have a feel and understanding what we're trying to do on that end of the floor to get things done."

What makes him so confident? Brown says he's seen the defense they want in the two prior games.

In Wednesday's win against the Mavericks, the Knicks held Dallas to 41 percent shooting and held them to 111 points. Against the Heat -- a loss -- Miami shot 45 percent and scored 113 points.

"We're going to be fine at the end of the day because our guys want it, and they have been better," Brown said.

The Knicks will look to improve their defense and get back in the win column when they travel to Brooklyn to take on the Nets on Monday.

Knicks guard Landry Shametleft Saturday's game against the Orlando Magic early due to a shoulder injury.

Shamet, starting with OG Anunoby injured, collided with Jalen Suggs and Wendell Carter Jr. midcourt. Shamet immediately grabbed at his right shoulder and ran to the locker room with a trainer. 

The Knicks announced Shamet suffered a shoulder injury before the start of the second quarter and ruled him out for the rest of the game. Following the Knicks' loss to the Magic, coach Mike Brown gave a short update on Shamet's next step, saying the guard will get a full evaluation in the next few days, but he didn't know more than that.

Shamet will travel with his team back to New York as the Knicks' next game is against the Nets in Brooklyn on Monday.

In less than three minutes on the court, Shamet had two assists and was a plus-six before his injury.

This is the same shoulder Shamet dislocated during the 2024 preseason. He was later signed by New York in December and helped the Knicks as a key bench player.

This season, Shamet has had some great moments. Entering Saturday, Shamet is averaging 9.9 points on 45 percent shooting. He made some key threes in the Knicks' win over the Mavericks and scored a career-high 36 points in the Knicks' win over the Heat last Friday.

Landry Shamet runs directly to locker room after hurting right shoulder he separated last year pic.twitter.com/UYZUodE4X9

— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) November 22, 2025

Despite a double-double from Jalen Brunson, the Knicks defense collapsed in the fourth quarter in their 133-121 loss to the Magic in Orlando on Saturday.

Coming off their first road win of the season, the Knicks could not duplicate their performance as the Magic shot 55 percent from the field and 39 percent from three to defeat New York for the second straight time this season.

The last time these two teams met (Nov. 12 at MSG), the Magic outmuscled the Knicks and ended New York's five-game winning streak, 124-107. It was arguably the team's worst loss of the season. This one is probably their second-worst.

Brunson, who injured his ankle the last time he faced the Magic and missed two games, led New York with 33 points on 12 of 21 shooting with 11 assists and three rebounds. 

Unfortunately for the Knicks, they lost two rotation players in this one. Miles McBride was questionable before the game with an illness, but was good to go after shootaround. However, the guard never saw the floor and was not seen on the bench for the whole game. Landry Shamet, who started alongside Brunson, Mitchell Robinson, Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges, left early in the first quarter after a midcourt collision led to a shoulder injury.

The Knicks (9-6) are now 1-5 on the road this season.

Here are the takeaways...

-The Knicks, led by Brunson, got off to a quick 11-2 start, but the shots stopped falling and the Magic got out to a 12-0 run of their own once the bench started coming in. 

The Villanova trio of Brunson (14), Bridges (9) and Josh Hart (2) accounted for 25 of the team's 29 points in the quarter. However, Hart picked up three fouls in the first in extended time with Shamet out. Towns was 0-for-4 (0-2 from three) in the first quarter.

The Magic ended the opening frame up 31-29, thanks to Desmond Bane grabbing a rebound on a missed free throw by his teammate and flipping the ball up and in for an and-one. Bane (10) and Franz Wagner (12) led the way for the Magic in the first quarter as they shot 53 percent. 

-Orlando got out to a quick 6-0 run to start, but some big threes from Jordan Clarkson helped cut the deficit in what was a back-and-forth quarter. The Knicks were up 66-64 at the half. The Knicks shot 61 percent through two quarters with Brunson doing most of the heavy lifting, scoring 23 in 18 minutes. Towns finally got on the board with six points in the second but he was a non-factor on the offensive end. Wagner led the Magic with 23 in his 17 minutes at the half, and no matter who was defending him, the Knicks had no answer. 

-Clarkson began the third quarter with the starters, but it was Towns who found his offensive game. The big man scored 11 points, thanks in large part to free throws. But the Magic found offense from everyone as the Knicks found themselves down five points after three quarters. 

The same was the case in the fourth as the Knicks had a hard time keeping up with the Magic, getting down by as many as 18 points in the final frame. After sitting out most of the third due to foul trouble and being ineffective against the athletic Magic forwards, head coach Mike Brown brought in his big man but it was more of the same as Wagner continued his torrid scoring. 

But it was the Knicks' defense that let this one get away. The Magic were shooting 77 percent halfway through the fourth quarter (finished 54 percent), and three starters had season highs for points with Wagner (37), Bane (27) and Jalen Suggs (26) leading the way for Orlando. With less than three minutes remaining, Brown emptied the bench down 12 points, putting a bow on the loss.

The Magic outrebounded the Knicks for most of the game until the benches cleared, but finished 11-9 on the offensive glass.

-With the injuries and foul trouble,Brownsearched for answers off the bench. He called on Tyler Kolek and Mohamed Diawara at times, but he leaned heavily on Hart, Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele.

Here's how the Knicks bench performed:

• Hart: 12 points, five rebounds and two assists in 29 minutes (fouled out)
• Clarkson: 15 points, two rebounds and five assists in 34 minutes
• Diawara: zero points (0-3), two assists and one rebound in 10 minutes
• Yabusele: Four points, one rebound in 13 minutes
• Kolek: Eight points, one assist, two steals in 17 minutes

Even Ariel Hukporti came in for a play before halftime, before the benches were emptied. Pacome Dadiet came in for the final three minutes.

Game MVP: Franz Wagner

Could go to Bane, who did it on both sides of the ball, but Wagner was unstoppable and rendered Robinson unusable. Wagner finished with 37 points, six rebounds and seven assists.

Highlights

Jalen Brunson with the first bucket tonight 🫡

(via @nyknicks) pic.twitter.com/REAIPOzIYH

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) November 22, 2025

Jalen Brunson gets the 4 point play 😤 pic.twitter.com/3k4k9CjlzL

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) November 22, 2025

Jalen Brunson 🤝 Mitchell Robinson

(via @nyknicks) pic.twitter.com/W47QFrPyJU

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) November 22, 2025

KAT slam 💥

(via @nyknicks) pic.twitter.com/XVLU8YQm67

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) November 22, 2025

What's next

The Knicks will continue their road trip, heading across the river to take on the Nets on Monday night at 7:30 p.m.