Shorthanded Knicks fall to Magic, crawl into NBA All-Star break with four straight losses

ORLANDO, Fla. — There is limping to the finish line and then what the Knicks experienced as they crawled to the All-Star break a shell of the team that had captivated New York for much of the season.

With three more players scratched from the lineup shortly before game time — leaving them with six of their top eight players in street clothes or back in New York — the Knicks saw an early lead turn into a one-sided defeat, falling 118-100 to the Orlando Magic at the Kia Center.

The loss was their fourth straight — the longest losing streak of the season for the team — and they head to the break with a 33-22 record and a hope that with the time off they can return a far different looking team than the one that finished off this stretch.

The Knicks were already without Julius Randle, OG Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson with long-term injuries. And shortly before game time against the Magic, Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau went down the list and scratched all three players who were questionable: Donte DiVincenzo (sore right hamstring), Isaiah Hartenstein (left Achilles tendinopathy) and Bojan Bogdanovic (sore left calf).

Asked if he was happy that the break had arrived, Thibodeau said, “I’m never happy.”

With good reason this time as he nursed a M*A*S*H unit through these final days before the break. The Knicks had just nine players available and that included two players on two-way contracts — Jacob Toppin and Charlie Brown Jr. — and 38-year-old Taj Gibson, who was on his second 10-day contract after coming to the rescue because of the earlier rash of injuries.

With Jalen Brunson, who is the lone full-time starter on the roster still playing, scoring 20 of his 33 points in the first quarter, the Knicks built a 36-27 lead, which they would stretch to 39-27 in the opening minute of the second quarter. But in a six-minute span, as Thibodeau tried to survive minutes with those end-of-the-bench pieces, it all fell apart. A 22-2 Magic run turned the 12-point lead into an eight-point deficit and it never got better in the second half.

“I think we’ve had a great two-thirds of the season,” Brunson said. “We’ve put ourselves in a position where we’ve done well but we have a lot of room for improvement. So I think this break is obviously good for us. We’re the walking wounded right now. But I’m more than happy with what we’ve been able to do. So quick reset and just be ready to go next week.”

Determined to not let Brunson beat them the Magic sent second defenders at him and dared someone else to beat them — and there was not a viable option on this night. With 8:21 remaining in the game and the Knicks down 17, Thibodeau pulled Brunson and let him get ready to head to Indianapolis for the All-Star Game. Precious Achiuwa had 23 points and 14 rebounds and that really was the only other highlight.

“I think you look around at the league, it’s part of the league,” Thibodeau said before the game. “You’re 50-some games into your season, so we’ll have 27 left after tonight’s game. The guys who have played, you get nicked up along the way, so I think it’s welcome from that standpoint.

“You get a chance to recharge, for everyone to recharge, and you’re headed down the stretch after. We have to hit the ground running. I’m proud of what our guys have done thus far to be able to withstand all the things that we’ve gone through from the heavy road schedule at the beginning, trades, injuries. But we’ve still got a long way to go and we’ve got to make sure we’re ready for what’s coming.”

Thibodeau indicated that he believed the three late scratches are all expected to be available when the Knicks return from the All-Star break in Philadelphia next Thursday.

.

By Steve Popper

steve.popper@newsday.com@StevePopper

Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.