ORLANDO, Fla. — With three days off following that embarrassing loss to the Hawks — when Trae Young gloated on the MSG logo — Sunday night was an opportunity for the Knicks to show proof of heart.

They responded by winning a dogfight against a shorthanded but scrappy Magic squad, 100-91, a performance that was chippy and choppy but good enough to set Tom Thibodeau’s squad back on the better track.

“Hard-fought road win,” the coach summed up.

The Magic (17-11) were missing their unquestioned two best players — Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner — due to injuries.

But they’re also feisty and entered undefeated at home at 10-0.

The Knicks (16-10), who leapfrogged the Magic for third in the East, overcame 17 turnovers, numerous falls to the court and an antagonizing opposing center in Mo Wagner (who dropped a season-high 32 points).

The testy battle included a flagrant foul from Karl-Anthony Towns and double technicals issued to Cam Payne and Wendell Carter Jr. because of a small kerfuffle that spilled into the Knicks’ bench.

The refs were, for the most part, letting them play.

And the Knicks didn’t back down.

“I thought we played good as a team,” Towns said. “We made plays when we needed to for each other. I thought we played good defense, too. We did a lot of good things that we needed to do against a team that’s really good and that’s playing really well now in Orlando, found ourselves getting a win here, something that people haven’t been able to do.”

Behind their point guard-center All-Star combo, the Knicks led for the final 34 minutes and finally created separation in the fourth quarter.

Jalen Brunson, whose step-back 3-pointer with eight minutes left felt like the evening’s biggest shot, led the team with 31 points on 8-for-18 shooting, getting to the line frequently and frustrating Magic guard Jalen Suggs.

Towns added 22 points and 22 rebounds in 43 minutes.

Mikal Bridges was also strong with 17 points on 7-for-11 shooting.

And the scoring total by the Magic was more 1994 than 2024.

“It was physical. There was a lot of contact. But I thought we played smart,” Thibodeau said. “I want the contact with intelligence. Body position and communication. I thought that was much better today.”

Still, the Knicks were lucky in some respects.

Without Franz Wagner and Banchero, the Magic offense was sterile.

They shot just 30 percent on 30 3-point attempts.

Jalen Suggs was a miserable 4-for-19 from the field and couldn’t lock down Brunson.

Multiple Magic players were visibly frustrated after losing to the Knicks for the second time in less than two weeks.

“It’s tough, you’re getting grabbed, you’re getting held then you’re not making shots,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said.

The Knicks and their fans were happier, of course.

Enough supporters stuck around the Kia Center to serenade Brunson with “MVP” chants.

At least for Sunday, the Hawks defeat served as a learning experience.

“I want us to understand why we win or lose,” Thibodeau explained. “And I think that’s a big part of improvement. Obviously, I’d like to learn more from winning, but sometimes you learn more from losing and when you fall short you have to be honest with yourself and make corrections for the next game. And it’s a long season. So you can’t get too high, too low, and understand what goes into each day and not take any shortcuts. And if you do that, you’re going to improve.

“And the goal is always to be playing your best at the end of the year. So there are things in every game that you do well, things that you have to do better.”