ORLANDO, Fla. _ Perhaps the Orlando Magic don't need to tank in order to challenge for the NBA's worst record at the end of the season.
They have trouble winning games even when two of their starters return from injuries and even when they play an awful opponent.
Struggling on defense and with their offense faltering for most of the second half, the Magic opened their post-All-Star break schedule Thursday night by losing to the scuffling New York Knicks, 120-113, at Amway Center.
The Magic led by 11 points early in the third quarter, allowed the Knicks to dominate the rest of the quarter and trailed by six points before the quarter was over.
Knicks point guard Trey Burke, a former first-round pick turned journeyman, scored a season-high 26 points, while former Magic center Kyle O'Quinn bedeviled the Magic with his energy, scored 14 points, collected eight rebounds and blocked three shots.
New York, which was playing without injured All-Star Kristaps Porzingis, snapped an eight-game losing streak and won for the first time since Jan. 30.
Orlando lost its fourth game in a row.
Magic center Nikola Vucevic played for the first time since he fractured a bone in his left hand on Dec. 23, while power forward Aaron Gordon played for the first time since he strained his left hip flexor on Jan. 27.
Vucevic finished with 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting, while Gordon added nine points on 3-of-9 shooting.
The starting five of D.J. Augustin, Jonathon Simmons, Evan Fournier, Gordon and Vucevic dominated on offense early in the game. All five players scored within the game's first 4 minutes, 5 seconds, and they also drained 10 of their first 11 shots.
One sequence early in the game exemplified the unselfish play Magic coach Frank Vogel wants to see. Gordon passed up a top-of-the-arc jumper and passed to Fournier, who was wide open on the right wing. Fournier elevated for a jumper, flicked his wrist and sank a 3-pointer.
The Knicks' starting five had no rim protection on the floor, with Porzingis out with a season-ending injury and notoriously poor defender Enes Kanter at center.
The Magic finished with 69 first-half points, their second-highest point total for a first half this season. But at the same time, they seemed apathetic on defense. Burke scored 14 points off the Knicks' bench, and the Knicks trailed only 69-63 at halftime.
Orlando will play 13 of its remaining 24 games at Amway Center, and with Gordon and Vucevic now back in the fold, and rookie Jonathan Isaac close to returning, the team likely will hurt its chances of securing a top pick in May's NBA draft lottery.
Before tipoff and for the entire first half, it seemed like the Magic (18-40) had a chance of vaulting over the Knicks (24-36) in the standings before the end of the season.
Orlando took a 76-65 lead when Vucevic sank a 3-pointer early in the third quarter.
But Orlando eased up.
The trouble started when Gordon attempted to back down Michael Beasley, trapped himself underneath the hoop and threw an errant pass that Courtney Lee picked off.
From that point on, the Magic made only 15 of 37 shot attempts
The Knicks soon started a 28-11 run and took a 93-87 lead late in the third quarter.
Midway through the fourth quarter, just before the Knicks inbounded the ball, Fournier, who scored a team-high 25 points, clapped his hands rapidly, trying to energize his teammates.
The Magic were trailing 107-99.
But nothing changed from that point on.
Fournier and his teammates couldn't summon the energy they needed to beat one of the worst teams in the league.
