National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
New York 103, Orlando 98
When: 7:00 PM ET, Monday, December 23, 2013
Where: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Officials: #14 Ed Malloy, #77 Karl Lane, #61 Courtney Kirkland
Attendance: 15105

Knicks 103, Magic 98: Carmelo Anthony had a team-high 19 points before leaving the game with a sprained left ankle in the third quarter and visiting New York held off a second-half surge to edge Orlando.

J.R. Smith had 14 of his 18 points in the first half as the Knicks took a 24-point lead and Orlando got as close as one in the final quarter. Andrea Bargnani and Raymond Felton added 13 points each while Tyson Chandler had 10 points and 13 rebounds for New York, which beat the Magic for the eighth straight time.

Arron Afflalo led the way with 26 points and Glen Davis chipped in with 20 for Orlando, which has dropped the first three on its six-game homestand. Jameer Nelson contributed 17 points and 10 assists while Nikola Vucevic added 14 points and 12 rebounds for the Magic.

Orlando made 7-of-8 from the field early to take a seven-point lead before Anthony scored eight as the Knicks edged in front 29-27 after one quarter. Tim Hardaway Jr. and Smith each scored five as New York ran off 10 straight points to push its lead to 11 and the Knicks stayed hot to build a 65-41 advantage at halftime.

The Magic trailed by 20 when Anthony left the game in the third and whittled their deficit to as low as six before the Knicks took an 84-76 lead into the final quarter. Orlando pulled within 84-83, but Iman Shumpert made two key baskets and Beno Udrih preserved the win by making 6-of-6 at the free-throw line in the final minute.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Anthony, who came down awkwardly on his left ankle after a rebound battle 4 ½ minutes into the second half, has led the Knicks in scoring in all 27 games this season. … Nelson has drained at least two 3-pointers in 10 consecutive games after making 3-of-10 on Monday. … New York Fs Metta World Peace (sore knee), Kenyon Martin (strained abdominal muscle) and G Pablo Prigioni (fractured toe) all missed the game.
Top Game Performances
 
New York   Orlando
Carmelo Anthony 19 Scoring Arron Afflalo 26
Beno Udrih 6 Assists Jameer Nelson 10
Tyson Chandler 13 Rebounds Nikola Vucevic 12
Beno Udrih 6 Free Throws Made Tobias Harris 6
Tyson Chandler 2 Steals Glen Davis 2
J.R. Smith 2 Blocks Nikola Vucevic 3
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
New York 103 45.3 10-21 15-19 19 47 4 3 10
Orlando 98 41.6 8-25 16-22 24 44 4 4 9
Upcoming Games
  • Orlando will play their next game at home against Detroit. The Magic have a W/L % of .375 after a win and .250 after a loss.
  • New York will play their next game at home against Oklahoma City. The Knicks have a W/L % of .125 after a win and .421 after a loss.