TORONTO — The New York Knicks prevailed against the Toronto Raptors, coming away with a tight 113-108 win in Scotiabank Arena on Monday night.
It was a close matchup throughout, with 19 lead changes and 13 occasions where the score was tied. However, the more experienced Knicks were able to execute down the stretch, led by their one-two offensive punch in Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson, who combined for 44 points, including 14 in the fourth quarter.
What made the close matchup even more impressive for the Raptors was that Scottie Barnes had to leave the game at the 6:47 mark of the third quarter, after suffering a right ankle sprain following a collision with Towns. In a video replay, Barnes could be seen repeatedly saying "I can't feel my foot," before he was helped off the court.
Raptors head coach Darko Rajaković says they’ve performed X-rays and they’ve come back negative, however the team will see how he’s feeling on Tuesday.
“I can't feel my foot.” 😳
Scottie Barnes with some troubling words to the medical staff after a collision with Karl Anthony-Towns.
Hope they are both alright 🙏🏽
pic.twitter.com/irZj0y5jJo
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) December 10, 2024
Without their all-star in Barnes, it was ultimately the Raptors’ late-game defensive execution that made the difference. Post-game, Rajaković pointed to a 4-point play that Brunson capitalized on after Davion Mitchell fouled him from beyond the arc, which put the Knicks up 105-104 with 3:03 left. Then there was a Towns dagger-three, as RJ Barrett didn't close him out, putting the Knicks up by five with 6.1 seconds remaining.
“Those are the moments when the game is on the line, that your antenna is going to have to be even more up,” said Rajaković. “You’re going to have to be even more dialled in and execute.”
Down the stretch, the Raptors rode Barrett's offensive momentum, as he put up 30 points on 13-24 shooting and four assists.
He was clutch in various stretches, including when he went 1 vs. 4 against the Knicks in transition, tying the game at 108 with 42 seconds remaining.
After Towns responded on the other end for a two-point lead, Barrett would try to get to the rim once more. But this time, it was OG Anunoby who blocked his attempt. What would follow was the aforementioned Towns three-point dagger, to seal a win for the Knicks, who sit in the upper echelon of the Eastern Conference, while holding the league’s best offensive rating (121).
It was one of those games that “you wish you got the win,” says Barrett, as he seemed to be a man on a mission on Monday night.
“It’s my old team, so anytime I play against them, I’m going to have some motivation,” said Barrett in French.
It marks almost one year since the Raptors and Knicks completed a trade, one that brought Barrett and Immanuel Quickley to Toronto and sent Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa and Malachi Flynn to New York. According to Sportsnet’s Michael Grange, the deal’s focus was mainly on Anunoby and Quickley, with the Knicks’ being “either happy about or insistent on including Barrett” in the trade. It’s a somewhat unusual position, considering the Knicks drafted him third overall in the 2019 Draft. According to Grange, Barrett knew that he was going to be traded, as the Knicks didn’t see him as part of their long-term future toward championship contention.
Since arriving in Toronto, Barrett has been playing the best basketball of his career, averaging 22.4 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists in 53 games coming into Monday’s matchup. This season he’s posting career-highs across those three major stats, which includes 5.9 dimes a game as the Raptors have increasingly relied on him as a playmaker.
Against the Knicks, he opened strong with eight points in the first quarter on 3-4 shooting and 2-3 from three. When the Raptors started slipping away in the second quarter, they responded with a 19-7 run to end the first half; Barrett scored six of those, as he consistently attacked on his way to 17 first half points.
After Barnes went out with his injury, Barrett’s aggressiveness continued even as the refs’ whistle seemed a bit far and few between, as only Ja’Kobe Walker attempted more than two free throws for the Raptors. However, that didn’t stop Barrett, with the Raptors’ top highlight of the night being an alley-oop slam after a somewhat questionable pass from Walker.
“I’m not going to lie, it just slipped, I was trying to throw a regular lob,” said Walker. “It was OD (overdose).”
Walker was another standout for the Raptors, as he put up a career-high 19 points, with 14 of those coming in the first half. Rajaković applauds his confidence, saying that on Saturday against the Mavericks, he had three situations where he did a shot fake instead of letting it fly.
“Some went in today, and it just brought me more confidence,” said Walker, who went 3-7 from distance.
Walker could see more playing time with Barnes' right ankle sprain, as the team continues to battle injury woes. Their starting point guard Immanuel Quickley remains out since their season opener, while the team was already without Barnes for an 11-game stretch this season when he suffered a fractured right orbital bone.
Yet to play is veteran Bruce Brown, while Kelly Olynyk just made his return to the lineup on Saturday vs. the Mavericks. Walker also missed time to start the season. However, he says it gave him time to practice with Olynyk as they were both sidelined, with the pair already showing signs of chemistry on the Raptors’ second unit.
“It’s just next man up,” said Walker, noting that Olynyk and Jakob Poeltl are “probably the best I’ve ever played with” in terms of passing big men.
In terms of Monday's unit, their outcome brings the Raptors to a 7-18 record, which is second last in the Eastern Conference. Up next, they’ll travel to Miami to take on the Heat on Thursday, Dec. 12.