NEW YORK - The Orlando Magic held off the New York Knicks 107-99 despite being without starting point guard Elfrid Payton for three quarters Monday at Madison Square Garden.

Payton's sprained left ankle, which he suffered against the Portland Trail Blazers on December 18, forced him out of Monday's game with 2:01 left in the opening quarter. Payton was replaced by rookie Mario Hezonja, who contributed 11 points.

That helped the Magic end the Knicks' four-game winning streak.

The Magic (16-12) said Payton's status is day-to-day. He scored five points in his brief outing. He averages 12 points a game and a team-leading 6.3 assists.

Center Nikola Vucevic picked up some of the scoring slack, matching his season high with 26 points. The 7-foot center shot 13-for-19 from the floor. Small forward Tobias Harris contributed 20 points, and swingman Evan Fournier added 16 points for the Magic.

"Obviously we missed Elfrid out there, but we kept going and grinding," said Harris. "Shabazz (Napier) played great minutes and we got a good effort from Mario (Hezonja). That is what our team is about, being ready."

Forward Lance Thomas came off the Knicks' bench to match his career high with 24 points. Thomas was 9-for-9 from the floor. Forward Carmelo Anthony added 23 points for New York, which was looking to win five straight games for the first time since an eight-game run from March 5-21, 2014.

"We didn't get the stops at the crucial points of the game," Thomas said. "I shot the ball well, but we lost. There are no moral victories."

A driving layup from Thomas sliced the Magic's lead to 93-92 with 3:24 to play, but Orlando used a 9-2 burst to move its cushion to 102-94 with 1:22 to play. Fournier and Vucevic scored four points apiece in the run.

The Knicks (14-15) were able to get within two points on three occasions in the fourth, but each time Orlando countered with a basket.



"When you play games like this, you have to get stops and score," said Orlando coach Scott Skiles. "We struggled again on the defensive end but we found a way to win."

An 11-4 run, with seven points coming from Thomas, brought New York to within 75-73 with 1:24 left in the third, but Tobias buried a 3-pointer with 1:05 to go to move Orlando's lead to 78-73 going into the fourth.

Vucevic (12) and Tobias (11) combined for 23 of the Magic's 26 third-quarter points. Knicks center Robin Lopez had a tough time guarding Vucevic on the perimeter. Vucevic's long jumper over Lopez put the Magic ahead 68-60 at the 5:15 mark of the third.

"I think he (Vucevic) hit some tough shots, but likewise some of them were too easy," Lopez said. "I don't know if I offered enough resistance frequently enough.

"Previously I have allowed big men to hit outside shots as opposed to get anything on the inside. He (Vucevic) kind of burned us with that in Orlando, so we tried to change it up a little bit."

Fournier scored 10 points in the first half to help the Magic to a 52-46 edge.

The teams traded baskets in the second quarter, but the Knicks were never able to get closer than 33-29 after a dunk from forward Derrick Williams with 7:52 left in the quarter.

The Magic ended the first quarter on a 9-2 run to increase their lead to 29-21. New York trailed the entire quarter.

NOTES: The Knicks were without F Kyle O'Quinn (sprained right ankle). ... G C.J. Watson (sore left calf) was out for Orlando. ... The Magic pledged $1.5 million toward the University of Central Florida's new academic building in downtown Orlando. ... The Magic open a four-game homestand on December 23. ... New York is on the road for seven of its next nine games. ... Magic G Mario Hezonja is second among rookies in 3-point field goal percentage. He was 1-of-4 from beyond the arc on Monday. He scored 10 or more points for the fourth time this season. ... Orlando has scored 100 or more points in 19 games this season.