Jalen Brunson collected 26 points and nine assists and Josh Hart added 23 points and 13 rebounds, lifting the visiting New York Knicks to a 108-85 victory over the Orlando Magic on Friday night.
Brunson made 11 of 21 shots from the floor to help the Knicks defeat the Magic for the third time this month. He scored 21 points in New York’s 121-106 victory over visiting Orlando on Dec. 3, and 31 points in a 100-91 triumph on Dec. 15 in Florida. Hart sank 7 of 11 shots from the floor.
The Knicks outscored the Magic 54-31 in the second half to extend their season-high winning streak to six games.
Mikal Bridges followed up his season-high 41-point performance in a 117-114 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday with 17 points on Friday. Karl-Anthony Towns added 16 points and eight rebounds for New York, which shot a robust 53.3 percent from the floor to overcome a disastrous 70.6 percent effort from the free-throw line.
The Knicks also held a decisive 60-34 edge in points in the paint and a 21-2 advantage in fast-break points.
Jalen Suggs scored 27 points and Goga Bitadze collected 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Magic, who have lost five of their last seven games overall.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope made a driving layup to forge a tie at 65-65 before New York erupted for a 26-9 run to bridge the third and fourth quarters.
Hart’s tip shot just before the buzzer gave the Knicks a 76-68 lead at the end of the third. He added a three-point play and a 3-pointer as part of New York’s early 9-2 run in the fourth quarter.
Brunson capped the surge with a finger roll layup with 7:52 left in the fourth period. The Knicks extended their lead to 104-80 following Towns’ 3-pointer and a pair of free throws from Miles McBride to effectively seal the win.
Orlando’s Gary Harris scored two points in 15 minutes in his return from a 13-game absence due to a left hamstring strain.
