The Toronto Raptors made their way into the mecca of basketball and received a beat down at the hands of the New York Knicks to a score of 126-100. The disparity in skill level between these two teams was on full display, and the Knicks showed why they are among the contenders in the Eastern Conference.
Although this game ended in a blowout, this was a competitive matchup for 24 minutes. In the first half, both teams battled intensively. Knicks lead just 59-57 going into halftime, with this being anybody’s game. However, the third quarter was entirely different.
New York jumped on Toronto’s neck and didn’t ease up. Jalen Brunson continued his All-NBA calibre season with 38 points, five rebounds and nine assists. The Raptors didn’t have a single player that could stay in front of him and he could get to virtually any spot he wanted to. His All-Star running mate, Julius Randle, finished with a triple-double of 18 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists on the night. O.G. Anunoby in his first game against his former team finished with 17 points, seven rebounds and three blocks, giving the Raptors a taste of what he did to opponents when he wore the red, white and black.
RJ Barrett had a decent game in his return to the Garden with 20 points, eight rebounds and four assists, however, he struggled from the free-throw line, going just 3-7, which would be the story for the entire team. Immanuel Quickley, who was also in the OG Anunoby trade, had a quiet performance, finishing with 12 points and 11 assists. Gary Trent Jr. had a bounce-back game with 16 points on 4-8 shooting from three-point range.
The biggest problem for the Raptors was their lack of production from their bench. Dennis Schroder only finished with two points and Bruce Brown with eight points on 3-8 shooting from the field. Two of Toronto’s main bench pieces struggled mightily. Precious Achiwua outplayed the Raptors’ bench in his first game against his former team, finishing with 18 points and 11 rebounds. The one bright spot from Toronto’s bench was the play of Gradey Dick who finished with 11 points on 3-6 from three.
Toronto as a collective shot an abysmal 56 percent from the free-throw line. Their inability to make free throws derailed any attempts to stop the momentum the Knicks were building, especially since their half-court offense wasn’t clicking. New York’s size advantage was apparent as they completely dominated the glass. The Knicks outrebounded the Raptors 61-31. No Jakob Poeltl hurt tremendously.
The growing pains will continue for this group as the road becomes increasingly challenging. Toronto falls to 16-27 on the season and remains winless against the Atlantic Division. The Raptors will come back home to face a severely undermanned Memphis Grizzlies (15-26) team on Monday, January 22, at 7:30 PM ET.
