On Friday, the New York Knicks took the road to face the Boston Celtics in their first matchup of the year. The Knicks, who are hungry for their first win of the season after their 2026 NBA Championship run fell short in a narrow 107-103 defeat. Almost the same could be said for the Orlando Magic, who are 0-2 after losing to the Atlanta Hawks and Minnesota Timberwolves. Orlando will travel to MSG to take on New York on Sunday night, in what should be a competitive matchup.
The Knicks could not stop six-time all-star Jayson Tatum, who dropped 36 points after struggling in the Celtics’ first game of the season against the Detroit Pistons, where he put up just 13 points. New York played a better overall game than they did on Tuesday night against the Philadelphia 76ers; however, their 16 turnovers compared to Boston’s 10 certainly prevented them from winning that game. Mikal Bridges could not hit a shot from the floor, missing all eight attempts. New York got help from Miles McBride off the bench, who scored 20 points, but ultimately the championship-winning nerves need to go away, and this Knicks team needs to work more cohesively if they want to be a threat in the Eastern Conference during the 26-27 season.
After making the NBA Playoffs the past three seasons and being bounced out in the first round, the Magic want more. Their 0-2 start isn’t ideal, but they should have some confidence heading into this game against the 2026 NBA Champions as Orlando defeated New York two times last year. 2024 NBA all-star Paolo Banchero looked undeniable in the first game of the season against the Hawks, where he put up 35 points in a 132-125 loss, but then struggled the following game against the Timberwolves, finishing with 14 points. Against both Atlanta and Minnesota, the Magic struggled to win the rebounding and turnover battle. That is something Orlando will have to focus on heading into Sunday’s game.
New York has to see their captain Jalen Brunson score the ball as effectively as he did during the Knicks 2026 NBA Championship run, while Karl-Anthony Towns and backup center Andre Drummond must be efficient at grabbing rebounds and not getting into foul trouble. OG Anunoby, Josh Hart, and Bridges will need to be better offensively and bring their best after losing the first two games this season. For Orlando, Banchero must be effective from the floor, while Franz Wagner, Jalen Suggs, and Desmond Bane must show their offensive prowess. Center Wendall Carter Jr. has scored 20+ points in the first two games of the season; his consistency and high field goal percentage are huge for the Magic. While the talk has focused more on offense, it’s defense that will determine who wins this game. Whoever is boxing out for rebounds, blocking shots, and making steals that lead to points will matter in this one.
I’d like to say the Knicks would win this game, considering I picked them to win against Philadelphia and Boston, and that didn’t turn out as expected. New York has the crowd behind them, and the fans are hungry to see them back in the win column. While it would be great to see Brunson score more than 25 this season, the defense of Towns, Drummond, Hart, Bridges, and Anunoby is what I’m looking for. Can our best defenders shut down Banchero and the rest of the Magic, who are also starving for a win? Let’s see if New York will need to hit the panic button after Sunday night, but for now, at least heading into the matchup, I think they have a strong possibility of finally winning their first game of the 26-27 season. I’d call it a 110-100 win by the Knicks.
