- 1 New York Knicks vs Orlando Magic: two 0-2 teams, and only one of them can rebound
- 2 New York Knicks: Towns is scoring, Brunson and Bridges aren’t
- 3 Orlando Magic: 21 offensive rebounds conceded to Minnesota and a sore ankle on their best player
- 4 Free NBA Prediction: New York Knicks vs Orlando Magic
- 5 About our free predictions
- 6 No commitment from us
- 7 Information changes
- 8 Your responsibility
- 9 Responsible gambling
- 10 Legal age
- 11 About visuals
New York Knicks vs Orlando Magic: two 0-2 teams, and only one of them can rebound 
Mikal Bridges went 0 for 8 in Boston on Friday. The Knicks still had the ball down one with 1:41 left, then Jayson Tatum scored five points in under 30 seconds and the Celtics won 107-103.
The defending champions are 0-2. They lost the opener to Philadelphia 106-100 at Madison Square Garden on banner night, and now they host Orlando on Sunday 25 October at 7pm ET, back at the Garden.
Orlando haven’t won either. Atlanta beat them 132-125 at the Kia Center on Wednesday, and Minnesota went to Florida on Friday and won 115-93, taking the rebounding 60-43.
The Magic also have a Paolo Banchero question. He sat the whole fourth quarter against the Wolves with right ankle soreness, and head coach Sean Sweeney would only say that he’d continue to be evaluated. Four other Magic players are already out.
New York, by contrast, has a clean injury report. The Knicks played on Friday, so this is one day of rest rather than a back-to-back, and the prediction markets have them priced around 1.46 to win.
New York Knicks: Towns is scoring, Brunson and Bridges aren’t 
Karl-Anthony Towns has been the most reliable piece. He had 19 points and 12 rebounds in the opener and 22 and 10 in Boston on 9 of 13 shooting, and he’s averaging 20.5 points and 11 rebounds while shooting 68.2% from the field.
Jalen Brunson hasn’t found his range. He shot 6 of 19 against the Sixers for 21 points, then 7 of 17 at TD Garden. As a team the Knicks shot 37% overall and 33.3% from three on opening night, after leading 58-54 at halftime.
OG Anunoby kept them in Friday’s game with 20 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. Josh Hart added 10 points, 12 rebounds and five assists without a turnover, and Miles McBride came off the bench for 20 on 6 of 9.
The third quarter has hurt them. Philadelphia closed it on an 11-0 run on Tuesday, and Boston won it 33-24 on Friday to go into the fourth up 10. New York’s 14-5 burst late in Boston showed the response is there, just too late.
Mike Brown’s team has no one listed on the injury report. The Knicks were 2.5-point underdogs in Boston, so Friday’s defeat came roughly where the market expected. A home game against a team giving up 123.5 points a night is a softer assignment.
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Orlando Magic: 21 offensive rebounds conceded to Minnesota and a sore ankle on their best player 
Banchero was excellent in the opener. He scored 35 with seven rebounds and 10 assists, had 22 by halftime and went 3 of 3 from deep before the break. Only Nick Anderson and Shaquille O’Neal, with 42 each, have scored more in a Magic season opener.
It still wasn’t enough. Thirteen first-half turnovers helped Atlanta lead 72-62 at the break, and although Orlando led 100-99 after three quarters, Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 11 of his 31 in a fourth quarter that had 11 lead changes.
Friday was worse. Minnesota grabbed 21 offensive rebounds to Orlando’s eight and turned them into 17 second-chance points, and the Magic didn’t get a single offensive board in the first 19 minutes. Orlando shot 44% from the field and 20.5% from three.
The perimeter shooting is the bigger worry. Franz Wagner went 1 of 6 from three and Desmond Bane 1 of 9, so the pair combined for 2 of 15. Wendell Carter Jr. led the team with 20 points and nine rebounds, Wagner scored 18 and Banchero 14 before he was shut down.
The absences pile up behind that. Anthony Black (ankle), Jonathan Isaac (knee), Izaiyah Nelson (ankle) and Noah Penda (hamstring) are all out, which leaves Sweeney with a thin rotation for the trip to New York.
Probable lineup New York Knicks: Not announced at time of publication (no players on the injury report)
Probable lineup Orlando Magic: Not announced at time of publication (Paolo Banchero being evaluated)
Free NBA Prediction: New York Knicks vs Orlando Magic
Our prediction: New York Knicks to win (around 1.46)
I’d back the Knicks. They’re 0-2, but both defeats were by six points or fewer and both were decided in the final minutes, while Orlando’s two losses came with the defence conceding 132 and then being beaten 60-43 on the glass.
Banchero is the one player who could change the read. If he’s cleared and repeats Wednesday’s 35-point night, Orlando can keep it close. Even then, a Knicks frontcourt with Towns, Hart and Anunoby rebounding at this rate is a poor matchup for a team that just gave up 21 offensive boards.
The price sits right at the 1.45 floor we work with, so it needs checking before tip-off. If it drifts shorter than that, the Knicks on the handicap is the better way in, but I’m not convinced Orlando find enough shooting to make this a coin flip.
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