Knicks get revenge against Magic after Franz Wagner goes down with early injury

Franz Wagner went down awkwardly after being fouled by Ariel Hukporti in the first quarter, immediately writhing in pain and grabbing his left knee. He stayed there for a few minutes before he was helped — basically carried — into the locker room, unable to put any weight on his left leg. He was quickly ruled out.

Just like that, the biggest Knicks killer this season — and the Magic’s leading scorer — was out of the equation. Wagner scored 28 and 37 points against the Knicks in the two previous matchups with the Magic this season, both Orlando wins. Beyond those two games, Wagner and the Magic could be a potential playoff roadblock down the road for the Knicks in the Eastern Conference.

But with what could be a serious injury and a mostly comfortable showing, that dynamic changed in a hurry.

The Knicks (16-7) won 106-100 Sunday afternoon at Madison Square Garden. They improved to a stellar 13-1 at MSG, one of just two teams in the NBA — along with the Thunder — with fewer than two home losses. The one game the Knicks dropped at home was to … the Magic.

The physical Magic punked the Knicks the first two meetings. Sunday, the Knicks better handled that aggression.

“It’s big for us,” coach Mike Brown said. “They’re well-coached and they’re a really good team. … It’s good to get a win against a good team that plays a certain way. We hadn’t figured it out yet [last matchup].”