The New York Knicks lost to the Toronto Raptors 90-87. New York’s slow starts makes it difficult for the Knicks to win games.
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The New York Knicks missed a three-pointer at the buzzer and lost to the Toronto Raptors 90 to 87. The Knicks dug themselves into a hole too deep to escape, trailing by 17 after a first-quarter where shots wouldn’t fall and the defense was invisible. The second unit came in and settled things down, with the Knicks holding Toronto below 20 points for the next two quarters and the offense gained momentum through Obi Toppin’s finishes. New York was able to push the game into dogfight territory for the fourth quarter, but execution became sloppy late after so much work to erase the deficit. It ended with an RJ Barrett kick out to Julius Randle, who got a good look but missed at the top of the key.
RJ Barrett wasn’t efficient but made timely baskets while Julius Randle’s scoring dipped but everything else he brought was quality. Obi Toppin was a spark for the whole team on offense and Mitchell Robinson was a game-changer for the defense. Is it a moral victory or another bitter loss? Let’s take a closer look at the game and decide for ourselves.
New York’s starters still don’t gel even with Randle & Barrett finding some chemisty
Alec Burks: 1 PT (0/7 FG, 0/3 3 PT, 1/2 FT), 5 AST, 5 REB, 2 STL, 2 TO in 37 mins
After picking up 0 assists from the starting point guard role last time, I was watching Alec Burks for playmaking. The good news is that he did create for others, with some nice feeds to Randle and a lob for Nerlens Noel. The bad news is that the tradeoff was no field goals in 37 minutes of action. We got some point guard play from Burks but at the expense of his best trait, scoring.
I don’t blame Burks’ offensive struggles on a mentality change though. The Raptors have a lot of long, athletic defenders which stopped Burks from driving effectively. He couldn’t get runners off in the lane or draw whistles on contact as his recent performances have shown. On top of that, Burks is 0/6 from three over the last two games which is unusual. He typically makes up for misses with extra points from long range and the line but neither option worked.
It’s strange that Burks was afforded 37 minutes despite struggling mightily to score. His passing was solid, defense respectable, and rebounding well. But none of that is enough to make up for 1 point in 37 minutes in a game the Knicks only scored 87 points. If we can get his typical scoring with the rest of that production, he’ll be rolling. Against Toronto, the lack of offense leaves Burks at 1.5 out of 5 for his performance.
RJ Barrett: 19 PTS (5/16 FG, 2/7 3 PT, 7/8 FT), 1 AST, 6 REB in 30 mins
RJ Barrett started off slow to begin the night. He struggled inside, like Burks, but he eventually willed himself to some baskets when the Knicks needed them. Late in the fourth, Barrett played like a go-to scorer with a three, a finish inside, and then a drive and kick that found Julius Randle wide open. His production was timely enough to make up for the low field goal percentage.
Besides the late pass to Randle, RJ and Julius showed a lot of chemistry last night. With the rest of the starters struggling, Barrett and Randle took on a lot of the starting unit’s offense. That worked because both players made the extra pass when it was available. However, the starting unit generated a decent amount of good looks that simply didn’t fall.
Don’t look now, but Barrett has led the Knicks in scoring for three straight games. He needs to shoot better than 31 percent from the field for the scoring contribution to fully hit, but he’s found a groove within the offense. Look at the highlight above and you’ll see Barrett posting up and shooting over a smaller player; that’s a development I would love to see more. Barrett grabs a 2.5 out of 5 for making shots when it counted but he needs to be more efficient.
Evan Fournier: 9 PTS (3/8 FG, 3/7 3 PT), 2 REB, 1 STL, 2 TO in 24 mins
I’ll give Evan Fournier the benefit of a doubt for this one. His pair of threes in the first quarter represented just under half New York’s scoring for that time. It’s low-hanging fruit but Fournier kept the Knicks somewhat competitive just long enough for the bench to save the day (almost). The French wing still seemed hesitant at times and needs to create more off the bounce, but his three ball is falling and that helps.
Fournier got some extra minutes in the fourth quarter, as part of a small-ball lineup. It was a response to Toronto leaving Obi Toppin open from three, but it wasn’t a great spot for Fournier to be in. He came into clutch minutes cold after a long break, and the Raptors got a ton of offensive rebounds against the smaller group. I like the idea behind the substitution but it made Fournier’s performance look worse instead of helping.
Do I have to talk about defense? Evan wasn’t very good on that end, but it was hard for me to pin the blame on him. He’s the weakest man-to-man defender of the starters, but it’s the team defense that lets us down more often. I don’t see rotations being the biggest issue for Fournier on that end, but I’ll keep an eye out. Fournier gets a 2 out of 5 on the night, but this was a big improvement from the “bad steak” games.
Julius Randle: 13 PTS (4/9 FG, 1/4 3 PT, 4/5 FT), 5 AST, 14 REB, 1 STL, 3 TO in 37 mins
Julius Randle only scored 13 points, turned the ball over thrice, and I didn’t mind. That’s because Randle’s effort and work were apparent throughout the game. He moved the ball far better than those 5 assists reflect. The Knicks’ star found open shooters who missed, picked up hockey assists, and had some beautiful screen assists as well. Randle’s off-ball work was fun to watch and a reminder of how much he can contribute even beyond the numbers.
Last year’s Randle showed up in the third quarter. He was setting off-ball screens and pointing to Evan Fournier to set up three-pointers; getting low in his stance to shut down Pascal Siakam in isolation, or creating second-chance points for himself and three-point looks for others. But what was missing from last year was the go-to scoring. Randle’s jumper has regressed and without it, he HAS to do all the extra passing and off-ball work for a positive impact.
There are two keys to this performance that leave me optimistic. For one, the ball wasn’t sticking to Randle, which meant a lot less stagnation on his touches and faster action. The second point, which is beating a dead horse, is everything we ask of him when the ball isn’t in his hands. Randle guided players to their own assists; feasted on the boards; and worked in the defensive half-court. This is the kind of effort that makes some misses and turnovers forgivable. Randle gets a 3 out of 5 for his impact on this one.
Nerlens Noel: 6 PTS (3/4 FG, 0/1 FT), 2 REB in 13 mins
I used to have this complaint about Carmelo Anthony a lot, but injured players shouldn’t force the issue. On the first play of the game, Nerlens Noel flew through the lane for a beautiful block. Then he ran back down the court and I could see he was laboring already. The first series of Raptors grabbing offensive boards repeatedly until someone scored…Noel was late to position on three consecutive shots because he hit the floor each time one went up.
Noel’s first half was a nightmare. He worked and willed himself to productivity in the third quarter, but was still hampered. His lateral movement gave me Enes Kanter flashbacks on defense. We know the guy’s hurt and I don’t think he should force the minutes because New York has the center depth to get by.
The Obi Toppin show staves off a blowout with the Knicks’ second unit
Derrick Rose: 11 PTS (5/13 FG, 1/3 3PT), 4 AST, 6 REB, 3 TO in 24 mins
I sing Derrick Rose’s praises as a floor general enough to feel comfortable complaining just a smidgeon. He has a turnover problem when he faces aggressive and athletic defenses. Rose gets away with more jump passes than most players because his hang time is something out of a slow-motion scene in a movie. But high motor athletes can hit the passing lanes and turn Rose’s kick-outs into fastbreak points.
Negativity aside, this was still a solid night for Rose. His efficiency was down, but the team still ran better with his presence on the floor. The former MVP had the benefit of Obi Toppin flying around and he took full advantage. D-Rose made things happen, whether he scored or found others. He also hit a go-ahead midrange jumper with less than two minutes in the game.
But Rose’s jumper has been less consistent lately. His three-point shooting was a genuine weapon early on, but it’s more of an afterthought now. I don’t mind that because downhill D-Rose is the best version, but the jumper added an extra dimension to his attacking. I guess that’s why his midrange make was so memorable late in the game. Rose nets a 2.5 out of 5 for a solid but inefficient night.
Immanuel Quickley: 5 PTS (2/7 FG, 1/5 3PT), 2 AST, 2 REB in 24 mins
If we’re wondering why Immanuel Quickley hasn’t gotten the nod to start yet, inconsistency is the answer. This is the second time in four games that IQ scores single digits and fails to contribute meaningfully in other areas. Quickley got to his spots but couldn’t finish, and didn’t find his playmaking until some late feeds to Obi.
I’ve been watching Quickley’s finishing lately because it’s so different from the average NBA player. He had a lane going left in this game but switched back to his right hand for a brick of a floater. I really wish he’d drive right through the basket and finish those attempts high. His floater is valuable, but it also becomes a crutch when he should be finishing with his left or through contact. He’s got to go strong to the basket more often.
All that said, I’m still very happy to see IQ frequently pushing 25 minutes a game. His minutes are starting to trickle up and that’s even when he had a rough game with Toronto. Am I happy with this performance? Nope. But I’ll take the growing pains because I see a lot of skills the young sophomore can build on with experience and work. Quickley gets a 1.5 out of 5 for this game but I still want him out there learning.
Obi Toppin: 19 PTS (6/14 FG, 1/5 3PT, 6/6 FT), 1 AST, 10 REB, 2 TO in 24 mins
The story of the night was Obi Toppin. When the Knicks were down bad, Obi came in for an acrobatic finish. Then Obi dunked. Then he dunked again. And if they were still playing, Obi would be probably still be dunking. Toppin flying around the court breathed life into a listless offense that might have collapsed in the first half otherwise.
There was one hole in Obi’s game, three-point shooting. Late in the fourth, the Raptors cheated off Toppin and let him take shots at long range. He managed to cash in one, but airmailed another and bricked after that again. It was enough to cause Thibodeau to bench Obi despite playing a crucial role for the offense all night. That’s unfortunate, but it shows how defenses will try to chase the sophomore off the floor.
I think this one’s as simple as the stats suggest. Obi essentially dropped 20 and 10 in 24 minutes of action. His impact was that much more impressive by the fact that Toronto is loaded with athletes. None of them could keep up with him in transition or get back to him when they cheated off. Toppin needs to play 20 minutes or more a night and we need to see how much he can contribute with that nightly load…play him WITH Randle. Obi gets a 4 out of 5 for massive production in less than 25 minutes.
Mitchell Robinson: 4 PTS (1/3 FG, 2/2 FT), 8 REB, 2 BLK, 1 TO in 18 mins
I’m not sure Mitchell Robinson will get the credit he deserves for the turnaround last night. Mitch put two blocks on the box score but caused a lot more misses from the Raptors inside. He seemed like the only player to frequently coax misses out of Scottie Barnes (that’s one hell of a rookie, congrats to Toronto fans). Robinson was a defensive force.
He wasn’t as successful on offense. I think that his most memorable play of the night was an unfortunate reminder that the added weight has taken a bit of spring out of Robinson’s step. Mitch tried to dunk and got blocked by Sri Mykhliuk. That’s not a typo, the kinda-sorta three-point shooting wing for Toronto denied Mitch on a gather and dunk attempt.
Despite the standout block being against him rather than for him, Mitch was good in this game. His defensive play deserves kudos and his presence was felt. His lone field goal came with him flying into the lane faster than he runs at any point in some games. I’m hopeful that Robinson will round into shape and this performance adds optimism. Mitch gets a 2.5 out of 5 for his defensive presence inside.
An uphill battle for Tom Thibodeau
Tom Thibodeau: There are reasons to be mad at Tom Thibodeau and questions to ask, but I don’t blame this one on him. Yes, there was an ugly inbound play out of a timeout (challenge) late. For sure the small-ball lineup proved to be a mistake at the end of the game. But at the same time, I think there was a logic behind every move Thibs attempted. His team had to fight back from a huge deficit right out the gate, this was a tall order for any coach.
On the good side, Thibodeau increased Obi’s minutes and let the kid run with Randle as a tandem again. He high-fived Randle after a hockey assist and I dig that kind of encouragement. The downside is listed in the paragraph above. Thibodeau’s biggest mistake may have been rushing Noel back to play when the big man was so clearly hobbled.
Let me tell you the story of Sisyphus. For cheating death, Sisyphus was cursed to be chained to a boulder with freedom just over a hill ahead of him. He’d get the rock to the top of the hill only to have it tumble back down for the rest of eternity. That’s what this season feels like, Thibs gets close to finding answers but then something slips up. Guys get hurt, players are sick, or the team just comes out flat. Either way, Thibodeau is fighting that uphill battle and not quite getting over the hump…2.5 out of 5 for the coach.
Closing Thoughts
It’s in my nature to chase optimism while trying to remain realistic. I’ve written recaps through so many down years for New York that I think it’s become a necessity. So you might roll your eyes at this, but I don’t think this team feels like the lows of past struggles. For one, talent flashes from nearly every player even if they don’t put it together. For two, I think this squad has enough depth to take a stab at a trade or two to improve things without losing its shape altogether.
What this team lacks that even some of the weaker squads had is an identity. Last year, defense and grit were the defining traits of New York. The Melo squads just needed the game to be close because Carmelo was always a shot or two away from going ballistic. This team shoots a lot of threes, I guess. They’re close enough in the race and competitive on enough nights that I think New York can find an identity and make a push. It’s not too late for this squad to be legitimate.
Now for some realism. The Milwaukee Bucks are up next up, the Golden State Warriors after that, and then the Houston Rockets who just had a 7-game win streak. If the Knicks continue to soul-search, “too late” could be just around the corner. This was supposed to be a week to make up ground, but the Knicks went 1-2. Now they’ll need to show more guts than they have since October. Let’s hope they step up, find their groove, or make necessary changes. We’ll talk about it after Milwaukee Knicks fam!
Stay tuned to KnicksFanTV.com for the latest Knicks news, rumors, and recaps throughout the 2021-22 NBA season. In case you missed it, catch up on some of the analysis and fan reactions from when the Knicks lost to the Indiana Pacers!
