The Knicks will look to halt their precipitous fall this evening as they take Southeast power Orlando, the Eastern Conference's fourth seeded team, at Madison Square Garden in New York. Tonight's skirmish is scheduled for an 8:00pm ET tip on ESPN. NBA Point Spreads have the Magic listed as a -1 against the spread road favorite and the Over/Under set at 204.
New York lost its third straight game on Monday night as the Celtics came into the Garden and scored a 96-86 victory. The 
Knicks, which fell to 35-35 overall with the setback, held a 14 point halftime lead, but Boston outscored New York 26-18 in the third quarter and 33-17 in the final frame.
Carmelo Anthony led the Knicks, which shot a meager 40.5 percent for the game, with 22 points on 7-of-17 shooting. Amare Stoudemire posted a 16 point/11 rebound double double.
New York, now 7-9 since acquiring Anthony, still owns the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference, but its lead over the Pacers has been reduced to 4.5 games. The ninth place Bucks are 6.5 games back of the Knicks with just 12 games remaining on the schedule.
Orlando won its third straight game on Monday to improve to 45-26 on the season. The Magic turned back the Cavaliers 97-86 in Cleveland thanks to another tremendous effort on the part of Dwight Howard.
Howard finished the game with 28 points, 18 rebounds, four assists, four steals, and four blocks. The six year veteran, who is shooting a paltry 58.7 percent from the free throw line, also downed 10 of his 12 foul shots in the win.
The Magic, which have won six of their last eight road outings (20-15 away), are 3.5 games back of the Heat in the Southeast standings. If recent history holds true, they should at least maintain that distance tonight, even with Miami facing Detroit. Orlando won has its last five meetings with New York and it is 3-0 in its last three visits to Madison Square Garden.
Magic vs Knicks NBA Point Spreads March 23rd, 2011:
Orlando Magic -1 (-110), Over 204 (-110)
New York Knicks +1 (-110), Under 204 (-110)
