Jalen Suggs exits Magic's 111-102 win over Knicks with apparent knee injury
Suggs was helped off the floor late in Orlando's 111-102 win over New York after his right knee appeared to buckle on a breakaway layup.
What happened to Jalen Suggs
Jalen Suggs is why Magic and Knicks fans are both searching right now. Orlando's guard had to be helped off the floor late in the fourth quarter of Sunday's 111-102 win over New York after an apparent noncontact right knee injury. Suggs was on a breakaway fast break when his right knee appeared to buckle on his layup attempt with 2:09 left on the clock.
He stayed on the floor for several moments in pain before his teammates and staff helped him to his feet. He walked gingerly to the Magic's locker room with help from team personnel, and he did not return for the final stretch of the win.
What the Magic have said so far
Magic coach Sean Sweeney did not have an update on Suggs after the game, according to the Orlando Sentinel, beyond saying that Suggs will be evaluated. Sweeney said he talked briefly with Suggs after the game and that Suggs was in good spirits, which is about as much as anyone can offer the night something like this happens. No timeline, no diagnosis yet. That part of the story is still open.
Why this one stings in Orlando
Suggs was the fifth pick in the 2021 draft and has averaged 12.6 points, 3.8 assists and 3.4 rebounds over his six-year career. He has battled injuries the past two seasons, limiting him to 92 games in that stretch, so a knee issue is the kind of news Magic fans have seen before and did not want to see again.
It also lands at a bad time. Orlando had already lost star forward Paolo Banchero to a low-grade high ankle sprain that is expected to sideline him multiple weeks. Losing Suggs too, even for a shorter stretch, thins out a roster that was already down a starter.
The win itself
None of this changes what happened on the scoreboard. The Magic used a big fourth quarter to beat the Knicks 111-102, dropping New York to 0-3 to start the season. For Orlando, the result is secondary tonight to the walk Suggs took off the floor with 2:09 left. What people want to know next is simple: how bad is the knee, and when does he play again. Right now, nobody outside the Magic's medical staff has that answer.
Facts per ESPN, ESPN box score. Opinion is the taproom's.