Raptors nonetheless trying to find elusive win over Knicks after second-half collapse
TORONTO — It’s far too easy to make each assembly between the New York Knicks and the Toronto Raptors a referendum on the Dec. 30, 2023 commerce that despatched long-time Raptor OG Anunoby to New York with Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett coming to Toronto because the principals.
The fact was the Raptors couldn’t pay Anunoby the contract he wished and Anunoby wished to take his providers to Manhattan. And why not: He obtained $212 million over 5 years from the Knicks. In that context, netting two good starters for a participant that was going to depart anyway in free company wasn’t a foul little bit of enterprise.
There’s little doubt who the most effective participant within the deal was and Anunoby has helped the Knicks win three playoff sequence in two seasons as arguably the most effective ‘3-and-D’ participant within the sport.
However after season-and-a-half of tanking, Quickley and Barrett have proven they are often helpful gamers on a successful staff. Barrett is having probably the most effective season of his profession in between accidents, shaping his sport to the Raptors’ wants in a means that many didn’t suppose was doable even a yr in the past. Quickley’s general efficiency has been uneven, however as he’s proven a number of instances this season, and most lately when he earned Japanese Convention player-of-the-week honours because the Raptors completed their latest street journey with 4 straight wins, when he performs nicely (25 factors on 61 per cent taking pictures final week), Toronto usually wins.
However right here’s the issue: The supposed advantages the Raptors are having fun with with them within the lineup don’t appear to materialize in opposition to the Knicks.
The state of affairs couldn’t have been arrange higher for the Raptors Wednesday evening. Not solely was Toronto coming in sizzling after their 4-1 street journey, the Knicks had been coming in groggy, having performed Tuesday evening in Manhattan and arriving in Toronto someday within the wee hours of the morning
They had been additionally lacking Mitchell Robinson, the human bulldozer who hoovers offensive rebounds and blocks photographs and who the Raptors wrestle to match up with at the most effective of instances and definitely not when Jakob Poeltl (again) stays out of the lineup.
The 2 groups had been in a digital tie for third place within the Japanese Convention standings and this appeared like an ideal likelihood for the Raptors to enhance their report within the season sequence to 1-2 with an opportunity to even it up once they meet for a fourth time at Scotiabank Enviornment on March 3. These sorts of issues can matter in a decent playoff race.
The Raptors peed down their collective legs because the Knicks blew Toronto away within the third quarter and coasted residence with a 119-92 win. Toronto (29-20) may need visions of itself as a staff that may make noise within the East come playoff time, however there’s nothing that has occurred in opposition to the Knicks (29-18) that implies it’ll do greater than whimper. The Raptors misplaced to New York by 16 on Dec. 9, 22 on Nov. 30 and 27 on Wednesday. Their report isn’t far more encouraging in opposition to the Boston Celtics (three losses by a median of 10+ factors per sport) and Toronto has not performed first-place Detroit but.
A win and Toronto would have been in a digital tie with Boston for second place (trailing just a few share factors however every six video games behind Detroit), as a substitute Toronto is tied with fifth-place Cleveland, forward of the Cavs solely as a result of Toronto has the sting within the season sequence.
Not that any of that is entrance of thoughts for Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic.
“What I am gonna say now could be true: Till right this moment, I didn’t look into standings one time,” he stated earlier than the sport. “I advised myself, I am not gonna look into standings till the all-star break, so I actually do not know the place we sit … all I wish to do is give attention to the sport right this moment and do every part in our energy to play a terrific sport, compete, and I hope we win it.”
They didn’t play a terrific sport; they didn’t win it.
There have been two quarters that advised the story.
The Raptors got here out within the first 12 minutes and appeared poised to shove a drained Knicks staff off the ground. They pressured New York into six turnovers with Scottie Barnes and Collin Murray-Boyles making life depressing for Knicks stars Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Cities, who had been a mixed 1-of-5 for the interval. In the meantime, the Raptors’ vitality and physicality generated 10 journeys to the free throw line, the place they transformed 9 possibilities and an edge in fastbreak factors and factors within the paint. However Toronto made 5 turnovers itself and shot simply 8-of-20 from the ground. The Raptors had been main by 10, however it felt prefer it ought to have been extra.
However the momentum actually swung within the third quarter when the Knicks — trailing by 4 at half — gave the looks of the rested staff taking part in at residence. Brunson and Cities didn’t do a lot (that they had only a single area purpose between them within the third and scored 21 factors mixed for the evening), however everybody else was working downhill.
Anunoby had 9 factors on 5 photographs together with three steals on his method to an enormous boy line of 26 factors (on 11-of-18 taking pictures) and 6 steals. Mikal Bridges was 7-of-8 from the ground within the third, scoring 19 of his game-high 30 factors. Knicks reserve level guard Tyler Kolek appeared like Steve Nash, dribbling by means of the Raptors’ paint at will, dropping passes to wide-open teammates. He completed with 10 assists in 20 minutes. The Raptors had been fuelling all of this with 9 of their 20 turnovers, which the Knicks transformed to 14 factors, an enormous cause the Knicks shot 60.9 per cent from the ground for the interval.
“They simply got here out and began attacking us,” stated Sandro Mamukelashvili, who had 9 factors on eight photographs (and three turnovers) coming off the bench after shining as a starter within the final three video games of the street journey. “We had a number of unhealthy turnovers, a number of unhealthy missed photographs that led to their simple buckets and it form of spiralled.”
The previous Knicks struggled in opposition to their outdated staff and stay winless in 9 conferences for the reason that commerce. Total, the Raptors haven’t overwhelmed the Knicks since Jan. 22, 2023, a stretch of 11 video games and counting.
Barrett completed with 14 factors, eight rebounds and three assists in his third sport again since lacking seven video games with an ankle harm. However he was restricted to 24 minutes as he works his means again into form and shot simply 3-of-13 from the ground. At full energy, you’ll suppose his aggression would yield higher outcomes.
However Quickley’s is the stranger case. Coming off the most effective four-game stretch of his season, you’ll suppose that the Raptors level guard can be keen to maintain his roll going. He hit his first shot try, a 3, after which was in any other case invisible, ending with seven factors on 3-of-9 taking pictures, whereas committing 5 fouls and three turnovers.
Nobody on the bench picked him or anybody else up meaningfully. Ja’Kobe Walter was 0-of-6; Jamal Shead had three factors and three turnovers in his 22 minutes. Gradey Dick had some leap, scoring 9 factors within the first half, however he performed simply six minutes within the second.
Brandon Ingram led the Raptors with 27 factors on 10-of-16 taking pictures whereas additionally making three steals, however his offence appeared to come back on the expense of the staff’s general rhythm within the second half and defensively he was as gradual off the mark as anybody.
“I believe within the third quarter a bit of bit, we was attempting to match-up hunt a bit of bit,” Ingram stated. “We had been dribbling on the prime of the important thing, however we weren’t transferring and coming down, taking pictures quick photographs that may stagnate the offence. We’ll take a look at the movie and see what we will do higher.”
They’ve loads of movie of themselves needing to do higher in opposition to the Knicks and solely two extra possibilities to use it. The Raptors’ story this season has had many extra ups than downs, however until they resolve their struggles in opposition to the groups they’re hoping to catch within the East — the Knicks particularly — they’re unlikely to have the ending they’re hoping for.
Impacting successful: The reserves for the all-star sport — positions voted on by the league’s 30 coaches — are scheduled be introduced on Sunday. At this level, if Barnes isn’t among the many 14 (seven from every convention) reserves that may spherical out the ten starters voted on by followers, media and gamers, there must be an investigation. Each coach I’ve heard converse on the matter cites some model of ‘impacting successful’ as the place their choice course of begins.
This was Knicks head coach Mike Brown earlier than the sport: “Successful has quite a bit to do with it as a result of any individual’s obtained to attain. So (if) now we have a staff that’s within the 11th spot, they most likely have a man who’s averaging 22 factors a sport, and 16 rebounds or no matter it’s and 10 assists however on the finish of the day, the staff’s not successful… (sorry coach, but when a man is averaging 22, 16 and 10 he’s most likely an all-star, however we take the purpose.)
“If you’re speaking all-stars or MVPs, it’s about who’s doing it in a state of affairs the place that staff is successful. I believe it’s extraordinarily essential to take a look at the highest three groups first after which the highest six after which go from there.”
Barnes headed into the sport in opposition to New York ninth in rebounds, eighth in blocks, 19th in assists and 18th in steals. He’s the one participant within the NBA within the prime 20 in all 4 classes and he’s additionally averaging 19.5 factors per sport whereas taking part in all-NBA stage defence. Get the person to Los Angeles.
Defence wins minutes: It’s not usually {that a} five-star highschool recruit focuses on defence, however Walter was an exception — his father Eddie, who performed school basketball himself, insisted on it. However there’s taking part in defence whereas being an offensive-minded participant, and the give attention to defence that Walter has displayed increasingly this season. He advised me it’s been a shift in mindset since he joined the Raptors because the 19th choose within the 2024 draft.
“I used to be at all times a defender,” he advised me. “However I didn’t suppose I used to be going to be aiming to be the primary man. However as I obtained older and once I obtained right here, they had been telling me they see what I can do, they see the size and the instruments that I’ve, simply be certain I take advantage of them on a regular basis. It’s primarily once I obtained to Toronto that I wished to form of be the stopper-type man … the coaches had been at all times telling me: ‘you’ll be able to assist us win.'”
It was actually the case when the Raptors used Walter in opposition to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder on Sunday. It was much less so in opposition to the Knicks as Walter performed simply 20 minutes, with Barnes and Shead taking many of the minutes in opposition to Knicks star guard Jalen Brunson, who completed with simply 13 factors on 5-of-13 taking pictures and made 4 turnovers.
Towering Cities: The Knicks centre has been beneath numerous warmth in New York and featured prominently in commerce rumours. His offensive output is at or close to profession lows and his frustrations along with his play and the best way he’s being featured within the Knicks offence have been barely beneath the floor. There have been some indicators of that in opposition to the Raptors as Cities completed with simply eight factors on 3-of-11 taking pictures, however he greater than made up for it on the boards as he grabbed 22 rebounds (seven offensive) and dished 4 assists. The hope was that Raptors rookie Murray-Boyles would be capable of match up nicely with Cities, however for as soon as, the burly rookie appeared a bit over his head in opposition to Cities, who’s 5 inches and maybe 40 factors heavier. In his first outing since lacking 5 video games with a sprained thumb, Murray-Boyles had simply 4 factors and 5 rebounds in 28 minutes, although he did handle 4 assists and 4 blocked photographs.
