The Magic collapsed.
They collapsed quickly and without any ability to fight back.
With Chen Xi firing on all cylinders, they couldn't put together even the slightest effective counterattack. The terrifying pace coming at them left them completely stunned.
Their defense was shredded, and their offense was picked apart until they looked clueless.
In just one quarter, New York, led by Chen Xi, outscored them 33–16.
They trailed by a staggering 17 points after a single quarter.
Chen Xi himself, thanks to an absurdly high level of efficiency on both ends of the floor, put up an incredible 18 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block in the quarter.
By the end of the game, Chen Xi's stats had climbed to 45+8+8+5+2!
If the Magic hadn't been so hopeless—getting the game into garbage time right at the start of the Third Quarter—and if Thibodeau hadn't suddenly found his conscience and taken Chen Xi out to rest midway through the Fourth Quarter, Chen could very well have put up another incredible 50-point triple-double. (Thibodeau's usual style was to keep his starters out there for nearly another quarter after the game had already entered garbage time~~)
In his first Regular season game after joining New York, Chen put on another all-around performance and made a spectacular debut, leading the New York Knicks to a 119–99 blowout win over the Magic and a winning start to the new season!
There were plenty of other games scheduled that night, October 20.
And many players had excellent performances right from the start of the season.
Luka Doncic, for example, opened the new season with an easy near-triple-double of 27+11+9, leading the Mavericks to a win.
Donovan Mitchell, meanwhile, put up a spectacular 37+4+6 and helped his team complete a 12-point comeback.
But