Logo

LAS VEGAS — David Copperfield’s face is plastered across the street for his nightly magic shows at MGM Grand.

But the Knicks made the Magic disappear from Las Vegas.

Their trip to Sin City will be extended, as they dispatched Orlando 132-120 Saturday afternoon at T-Mobile Arena to advance to the NBA Cup final.

They will face the Spurs, who defeated the Thunder in the other semifinal.

The reigning Clutch Player of the Year, Jalen Brunson is often at his best in playoff-like settings or elimination games.

Saturday was the latest example.

He sounded sick during media day Friday, his voice cracking as he spoke.

One day later, it was the Magic who must have been sick of watching him dominate them.

Brunson poured in a season-high 40 points on stellar 16-for-27 shooting from the field.


  Jalen Brunson reacts after hitting a shot during the Knicks’ Dec. 13 game against the Magic. Imagn Images Jalen Brunson reacts after hitting a shot during the Knicks’ Dec. 13 game against the Magic. Imagn Images

He added eight assists as well.

As the Knicks regained control of the game late in the third quarter, Brunson dropped Anthony Black — who had told The Post he planned to “get into his jersey and see how he responds” on Friday — with a stepback before drilling a 3-pointer.

The neutral-site crowd — with plenty of empty seats — didn’t exactly create an electric atmosphere.

But the play brought the loudest reaction of the game.

Later in the fourth quarter, MVP chants — usually reserved for Madison Square Garden — emerged as Brunson took free throws with 6:56 left in the game.

“When you have an MVP of the league candidate in Jalen Brunson, 16-for-27, 40 points, he makes the game easier for everybody,” coach Mike Brown said. “That’s what MVPs are supposed to do, and he definitely did that tonight.”

Desmond Bane, who has emerged as a Knicks nemesis this year, tried setting a tone physically by knocking several players around.

That physicality from the Magic has been a constant in this matchup.

The Knicks struggled with it the first two meetings between the teams.

But in the past two, both Knicks wins, they haven’t been fazed.

“In the first quarter, in the first couple of minutes, they were beating us up physically,” Brunson said. “Coach Brown basically told us to wake up. We had to match it, exceed it and do what we had to do.

“I think it was good on our part how we responded to that.”

Jalen Suggs — known more for his defense than offense — hurt the Knicks early, scoring 25 points in the first half.


  Karl-Anthony Towns defends during the Knicks’ Dec. 13 game against the Magic. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect Karl-Anthony Towns defends during the Knicks’ Dec. 13 game against the Magic. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

But he subsequently went missing, scoring just one point in the second half.

Paolo Banchero’s final numbers look OK, but he missed all six threes he took and was a weak spot for the Magic, particularly defensively.

Franz Wagner’s absence was also glaring for the Magic — he suffered a high ankle sprain during the previous meeting between the two teams last week.

Without him, the Knicks had too much firepower.

He got hurt in the first quarter of that game, so both Knicks wins over the Magic have now come with him sidelined after he killed them the first two matchups.

Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby chipped in 29 and 24 points, respectively. Anunoby was a menace defensively with three steals.

Josh Hart’s red-hot 3-point shooting of late was absent, missing all four 3-pointers he took.

But he characteristically found other ways to impact the game, finishing with six rebounds, six assists and three steals.

Since Hart entered the starting lineup, that grouping has been one of the best units in the league. Saturday showed why — starters scored 121 of their 132 points.

Off the bench, Tyler Kolek was a team-best plus-17.

Mitchell Robinson chipped in nine rebounds and four blocks.

“I think recently we’ve been playing very good basketball, even though we still could be better,” Towns said. “The fact that we are doing this right now, and we are still learning, but we are winning games while learning is a testament to the coaching staff and it’s a testament to these guys in the locker room that are willing to sacrifice and do whatever it takes to win.”

After getting bullied during the first two matchups with the Magic this year, the Knicks have now beaten them twice within three games — with Saturday eliminating them from the in-season tournament as a result.

This won’t suffice the finals-or-bust expectations they set for themselves.

That will have to come in the spring.

But in this NBA Cup, they were the last team standing in the East. That means something.

Comments
anonymous profile image
Powered by RoundtableBuilt on infrastructure designed for real-time media. Learn more at RTB.io.© Roundtable 2026. By using this site you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy