Knicks Thumped by Lewis, Magic; Lose 118-104
One night after stunning the Phoenix Suns with a 25-point blowout, the New York Knicks were back to their losing ways, as the Orlando Magic proved too much for the Knicks, beating them 118-104 on Wednesday night.
Magic forward Rashard Lewis, who missed the first ten games of the season after testing positive for elevated testosterone levels, dropped 20 points and 11 rebounds on the Knicks, who had no answer for the Magic’s front court. Magic center Dwight Howard chipped in 19 points and 10 rebounds of his own.
The Knicks were led offensively by Wilson Chandler, who scored 24 points, and second-year forward Danilo Gallinari, who added 20 of his own (a night after his 27/10 performance against the Suns).
The biggest story for the Knicks on Wednesday revolved around guard Nate Robinson, who never entered the game despite scoring 24 points in a loss last week against the Magic.
“It’s something where you’ve got to take the good with the bad,” Robinson said. “Be ready to play whenever you’re number is called. That’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to do everything I can to be that good teammate.”
After firing a shot at his own basket last week and nearly costing his team three points, Robinson has been struggling to find his way back into the lineup.
“We want to win, and if he’s conducive to winning, then he’ll obviously be back in the lineup,” Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni said. “If not, then not. I’m not going to explain everything. I did not play Darko (Milicic). No one asked me about that. Why didn’t I play Marcus (Landry) last game? We could go through the whole thing.
