Magic, Knicks match up after comeback wins (Dec 22, 2016)
NEW YORK -- The New York Knicks opened a three-game homestand on Tuesday by rallying for their biggest comeback win of the season. Trailing by as many as 15 points, the Knicks ended a three-game losing streak with a 118-111 victory over the Indiana Pacers.
New York (15-13) will try to keep the momentum going when it entertains the Orlando Magic (13-17) at Madison Square Garden on Thursday. The homestand ends on Christmas Day with a visit from the Boston Celtics.
Orlando also fought back from being double digits down in its 136-130 double-overtime win against the Miami Heat on Tuesday.
The Magic trailed by as many as 13 points before securing their eighth road victory of the season.
"Good win. We fought hard," Orlando guard Evan Fournier said. "We weren't very happy about the first half. We talked about it in the locker room. We came out more aggressive, trying to get into our stuff offensively.
Fournier scored 26 points in the win. It was the 13th time he scored at least 20 points this season.
The Knicks received 35 points from Carmelo Anthony for the third time this season in the win over Indiana. Derrick Rose, in his first game back after missing three with back spasms, added 24 points and six assists. Kristaps Porzingis contributed 21 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots. It was the third time this season the Knicks had three players score 20 or more points.
"All three of us are capable of doing it," Porzingis said. "It is not about us three. It is about getting the team involved, playing together and sharing the ball.
"It's good we are making shots, but it is important that the rest of the guys are involved and playing their game."
The Knicks were down by as many as 81-66 with 4:45 left in the third quarter. Anthony got is started with a step-back jumper.
Anthony drained 7 of 11 3-point attempts. He was 13 of 25 from the floor overall.
"I'm just happy that we won," Rose said. "I was just trying to get a feel for the game. With me being out, I tried to come in and get them going.
"I saw Melo was hot, and the team did a great job of finding Melo and KP in the second half. We were making the extra pass tonight."
Joakim Noah added 11 points and 11 rebounds for his second double-double this season. New York sank 13 of its 23 3-point tries, matching its most 3-pointers this season.
Anthony averaged 23 points in the three games against Orlando last season.
On Wednesday, the Westchester Knicks, New York's NBA Development League team, traded forward Cleanthony Early, the Knicks' 2014 second-round draft pick, to Santa Cruz, the D-League team of the Golden State Warriors, for guard Courtney Fells in a three-team deal that involved the D-League's Texas Legends. Early averaged 4.3 points and 1.5 rebounds in 14.3 minutes per game in 56 games with the Knicks spanning two seasons. Fells, 30, has spent most of his career playing in Europe.
