ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Jalen Brunson had 26 points and nine assists, Josh Hart added 23 points and 13 rebounds and the New York Knicks extended their winning streak to six games with a 108-85 win over the Orlando Magic on Friday night.
Karl-Anthony Towns had 16 points and eight rebounds for the Knicks, who pulled away in the second half. Mikal Bridges, coming off a season-best 41-point game in a win over San Antonio on Christmas Day, added 17 points.
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Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs slips as he tries to drive past New York Knicks forward Mikal Bridges (25) during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Dec. 27, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby, left, makes a shot over Orlando Magic forward Tristan da Silva (23) during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Dec. 27, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby (8) shoots over Orlando Magic forward Tristan da Silva, left, during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Dec. 27, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
New York Knicks forward Mikal Bridges, right, drives past Orlando Magic guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (3) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Dec. 27, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Orlando Magic center Goga Bitadze, lower left, tries to pass after collecting a loose ball in front of New York Knicks guard Josh Hart during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Dec. 27, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs (4) loses control of the ball while going up for a shot against New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Dec. 27, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
New York Knicks forward Mikal Bridges, right, takes a shot over Orlando Magic guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (3) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Dec. 27, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Jalen Suggs, limited to 26 minutes due to foul trouble, scored 27 points. Goga Bitadze had 14 points and 10 rebounds for Orlando, which dropped its second straight and lost for the fifth time in seven games.
Knicks: Winning their sixth straight overall and sixth straight road game — including two in Orlando — the Knicks relied on defense and a 44-32 rebound advantage.
Magic: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope moved to a forward spot and Wendell Carter Jr., came off the bench in the Magic's latest attempt to compensate for injuries to Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. But, they shot 36.8% and lost for the fourth time in six home games after winning their first 10.
With 6:23 left in the third quarter, Suggs fouled Brunson on a lane runner, which Brunson converted into a three-point play that tied the game 63. Suggs had to sit with five fouls, and by the time he re-entered the game in the fourth quarter, the Knicks led 87-70.
The Knicks made only 4 of 15 3-pointers, but made up for it with 54% shooting and a 24-for-34 effort from the line. Orlando hit 11 of 12 from the line.
The Knicks are at Washington on Saturday, while the Magic host the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday.
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Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs slips as he tries to drive past New York Knicks forward Mikal Bridges (25) during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Dec. 27, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby, left, makes a shot over Orlando Magic forward Tristan da Silva (23) during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Dec. 27, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby (8) shoots over Orlando Magic forward Tristan da Silva, left, during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Dec. 27, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
New York Knicks forward Mikal Bridges, right, drives past Orlando Magic guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (3) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Dec. 27, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Orlando Magic center Goga Bitadze, lower left, tries to pass after collecting a loose ball in front of New York Knicks guard Josh Hart during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Dec. 27, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs (4) loses control of the ball while going up for a shot against New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Dec. 27, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
New York Knicks forward Mikal Bridges, right, takes a shot over Orlando Magic guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (3) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Dec. 27, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday apologized to his Azerbaijani counterpart for what he called a “tragic incident” following the crash of an Azerbaijani airliner in Kazakhstan that killed 38 people, but stopped short of acknowledging that Moscow was responsible.
Putin's apology came amid mounting allegations that the plane had been shot down by Russian air defenses attempting to deflect a Ukrainian drone strike near Grozny, the regional capital of the Russian republic of Chechnya.
An official Kremlin statement issued on Saturday said that air defense systems were firing near Grozny airport as the airliner “repeatedly” attempted to land there on Wednesday. It did not explicitly say one of these hit the plane.
The statement said Putin apologized to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev “for the fact that the tragic incident occurred in Russian airspace.”
The readout said Russia has launched a criminal probe into the incident, and Azerbaijani state prosecutors have arrived in Grozny to participate. The Kremlin also said that “relevant services” from Russia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan are jointly investigating the crash site near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan.
The plane was flying from Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku, to Grozny when it turned toward Kazakhstan, hundreds of kilometers (miles) across the Caspian Sea from its intended destination, and crashed while making an attempt to land. There were 29 survivors.
According to a readout of the call provided by Aliyev’s press office, the Azerbaijani president told Putin that the plane was subject to "external physical and technical interference," although he also stopped short of blaming Russian air defenses.
Aliyev noted that the plane had multiple holes in its fuselage and that the occupants had sustained injuries “due to foreign particles penetrating the cabin mid-flight.”
On Friday, a U.S. official and an Azerbaijani minister made separate statements blaming the crash on an external weapon, echoing those made by aviation experts who blamed the crash on Russian air defense systems responding to a Ukrainian attack.
Passengers and crew who survived the crash told Azerbaijani media that they heard loud noises on the aircraft as it was circling over Grozny.
Dmitry Yadrov, head of Russia’s civil aviation authority Rosaviatsia, said Friday that as the plane was preparing to land in Grozny in deep fog, Ukrainian drones were targeting the city, prompting authorities to close the area to air traffic.
Yadrov said that after the captain made two unsuccessful attempts to land, he was offered other airports but decided to fly to Aktau.
Earlier in the week, Rosaviatsia had cited unspecified early evidence as showing that a bird strike led to an emergency on board.
In the days following the crash, Azerbaijan Airlines blamed “physical and technical interference” and announced the suspension of flights to several Russian airports. It didn’t say where the interference came from or provide any further details.
People stand at a street memorial outside the Azerbaijani embassy in Moscow, Russia, on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, in the memory of victims of the Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 that crashed near the Kazakhstan's airport of Aktau. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov)
People attend a funeral of Mahammadali Eganov, 13 who died in the Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 crash near Kazakhstan's Aktau airport, in Baku, Azerbaijan, Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024. (AP Photo)
People attend the funeral of Mahammadali Eganov, 13 who died in the Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 crash near Kazakhstan's Aktau airport, in Baku, Azerbaijan, Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024. (AP Photo)
People attend a funeral of Mahammadali Eganov who died in the Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 crash near the Kazakhstan's airport of Aktau at the age of 13, in Baku, Azerbaijan, Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024. (AP Photo)
People attend a funeral of Mahammadali Eganov who died in the Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 crash near the Kazakhstan's airport of Aktau at the age of 13, in Baku, Azerbaijan, Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024. (AP Photo)
People attend a funeral of Mahammadali Eganov who died in the Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 crash near the Kazakhstan's airport of Aktau at the age of 13, in Baku, Azerbaijan, Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024. (AP Photo)
People attend a funeral of Mahammadali Eganov who died in the Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 crash near the Kazakhstan's airport of Aktau at the age of 13, in Baku, Azerbaijan, Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024. (AP Photo)
The tomb of Mahammadali Eganov, 13 who died in the Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 crash near the Kazakhstan's Aktau airport, in Baku, Azerbaijan, Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024. (AP Photo)
People carry the body of Mahammadali Eganov, 13 who died in the Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 crash near Kazakhstan's Aktau airport, at his funeral, in Baku, Azerbaijan, Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024. (AP Photo)
In this photo released by Kazakhstan's Presidential Press Office, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev speaks during a meeting in Astana, Kazakhstan, on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, in connection with the Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 that crashed near the Kazakhstan's airport of Aktau. (Kazakhstan's Presidential Press Office via AP)
Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a Security Council meeting via videoconference at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024. (Sergei Ilyin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
In this photo taken from a video released by the administration of Mangystau region, a part of Azerbaijan Airlines' Embraer 190 lies on the ground near the airport of Aktau, Kazakhstan, on Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024. (The Administration of Mangystau Region via AP)
