Magic limp into MSG as Knicks' offense searches for a pulse

Two games into the season and both these squads look like they forgot how to put the ball in the basket. The Knicks are sputtering at 101.5 points per game while shooting a dismal 40.8% from the floor—ugly basketball even by early-season standards. Orlando's not much prettier, plodding to 109 per contest and bricking threes at a 26.6% clip that would make a high school JV coach wince.

Here's the kicker: Paolo Banchero isn't walking through that door. His 24.5 points per game are sitting at home, leaving the Magic's already anemic offense even more toothless. Sure, Orlando's defense has been a sieve at 123.5 points allowed, but they're catching a Knicks team that couldn't score in a layup line right now.

The pace tells the real story. New York crawls at 99.6 possessions per game while the Magic push it to 106.8—split the difference and you're looking at a game settling around 102-103 possessions. You'd need both teams to suddenly remember how to shoot to threaten 225 points, and nothing in the early tape suggests that's happening.

DarkHorse is riding the under 224.5 with medium confidence, and it's hard to argue. This one smells like a rock fight in the low 210s.