Jalen Suggs, a solid defender, could have his hands full Saturday trying to slow down Jalen Brunson.
LAS VEGAS — There’s a hotel on the Strip about a block away from T-Mobile Arena, site of the Emirates NBA Cup Semifinals, and like all structures on this clogged avenue it brings its own vibrant personality.
Maybe it’s just a coincidence, but with the Knicks in town, the hotel — New York New York, with its faux Statue of Liberty and Manhattan skyscrapers — might also bring comfort and some familiarity and maybe good luck to the team that reflects the flavor of the hotel.
Of course, the Knicks are playing the Orlando Magic on Saturday (5:30 ET, Prime), and Las Vegas is commonly considered the Adult Disney World, so maybe this semifinal game is a push in that sense.
And also, in another sense — these teams are closely matched. The Knicks and Magic are not only competing for a spot in Tuesday’s Cup Final, there’s also the chance for the winner to establish itself as a serious contender, and someday soon as the best-bet, in a wide-open Eastern Conference.
Both the Knicks and Magic have recovered from rough starts to the season and are seemingly on the right track and on pace to enjoy the outlook that most projected for them when the season began. The Cup can confirm as much; it’s a checkpoint that both teams have eagerly anticipated and will use as a launch.
The Knicks began the season 2-3, and those three losses were on the road. That was a snapshot into the next two months. While the Knicks are a stunning 13-1 at Madison Square Garden — only the Oklahoma City Thunder sport a perfect home record — they’ve continued to be troublesome away from New York, just 4-6. And this game, and the next one if the Knicks survive, will both be road games.
There’s encouraging news — the Knicks are starting to grasp the system put in place by first-year coach Mike Brown.
He wanted an offense that flows freely and doesn’t always rely on Jalen Brunson, especially late in fourth quarters. The idea wasn’t to reduce the effectiveness of the All-NBA guard, only to make the Knicks less predictable.
It remains a work in progress but at least there is progress. Mikal Bridges looks much more comfortable than last season, with his role and his production (16.4 points, two steals, 1.1 blocks). The Knicks have six players averaging double figures in scoring and a seventh, Jordan Clarkson, is at 9.9. Therefore, the ball is moving.
Jalen Brunson can’t be stopped, dropping 35 points vs. the Raptors to send New York to the NBA Cup Semifinals.
Meanwhile, Brunson’s game hasn’t suffered at all through this transition. He had 35 points in the Cup Quarterfinals to send the team to Vegas, and on the season he once again finds himself as one of the league’s scoring leads at 28.3 points.
“Just his mere presence gives us all confidence,” Brown said. “So there’s a lot that a guy like Jalen, who in my opinion is playing at an MVP level, and what he brings to the table in situations like this.”
This is also a big game, and the Knicks have played in far more meaningful games over the last few years than Orlando, which hasn’t advanced beyond the first round of the playoffs since 2010. Advantage, Knicks in that sense.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for us to be in that kind of playoff atmosphere and understand what’s on the line, and go out there and show ourselves, again, how disciplined you need to be to win these kind of games,” said Karl-Anthony Towns. “And also, how important execution is. You know, and for us to reach the goals that we have for our team, discipline and execution is going to be at the forefront of most important things that we need to build consistency at.”
About the only pressing issue for the Knicks is two of their seven losses this season came to Orlando.
Now, the Knicks also just beat Orlando two games ago. And like then, the Magic will be without Franz Wagner, who’s healing from a bum ankle.
Wagner is their leading scorer and gives the frontcourt balance alongside Paolo Banchero. That’s a challenge for Orlando to compensate for his absence, especially against a Knicks’ defense that brings solid stoppers in Bridges and OG Anunoby.
Desmond Bane’s 37-point performance boosted the Magic into the Emirates NBA Cup Semifinals.
The good news for Orlando: Desmond Bane, after a slow start, is catching his rhythm and replacing the pop lost in the offense by Wagner’s injury.
Also, the Magic missed Banchero for three of their first four Cup games in Group Play and still managed to grab the No. 1 seed in the East, so they have experience in this unfortunate situations.
They’ve responded well, not only to those injuries, not only to a season which began 1-4, not only to the challenge by coach Jamahl Mosley to step up the defense — which they have — but overall in this tournament once it required a small margin for error in the knockout rounds.
“We are building a ton of momentum, trending in the right direction,” said Bane. “Unfortunately, Franz goes down. But, you know, we still find a way to win some games. It’s been great.”
Their surge under Bane began Nov. 10. Bane is in his first season with the Magic — they surrendered four unprotected picks and a pair of swaps to Memphis — and made the game-winner at the buzzer against the Trail Blazers. Since then, the Magic are 11-4.
And Bane dropped 37 points against Miami in the Cup Quarterfinals to punch the Magic’s ticket to Vegas.
“I think just the confidence from my teammates, confidence from the coaching staff, just to come out and be myself, be aggressive,” he said. “Kept telling me when I’m aggressive, good things usually happen for us. So really just tried to get in that mindset and that mind frame heading into games. It’s paid off.”
There will be factors in this game that’ll determine the outcome. Such as: The battle of the Jalens, as Suggs, a solid defender, trying to slow down Brunson; Anthony Black replacing Wagner in the starting lineup and making the most of those minutes; Towns’ chances of exploiting the Orlando big men who aren’t fond of playing away from the basket; and Banchero putting pressure on the Knicks’ defense.
One team, the Knicks, are second in the East, Orlando is currently fourth. There’s a pretty good chance that the East-leading Pistons will watch this game with plenty of curiosity.
This will be meeting No. 4 for the Knicks and Magic, and it’s just Dec. 12. Not only do they know each other well by now, they know there’s something at stake.
Not just in Vegas, but beyond.
“I think that it’s two good basketball teams,” Bane said. “Two teams that are trying to do something big in the Eastern Conference. I think that any time you have a team that’s standing in the way of what you’re trying to do, it should be a little something extra on the line.”
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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA since 1985. You can e-mail him at [email protected]m, find his archive here and follow him on X.
