The Toronto Raptors lose yet another game at home!
Toronto lost yet another game at home. The Raptors have lost 11 of the last 14, including seven at home. Last night's loss had all the makings of a total heartbreaker, with Julius Randle rallying up 32 points and 11 rebounds, Mitchell Robinson bringing in 10 points, and 18 rebounds as the New York Knicks finally beat the Toronto Raptors at Scotia Bank Arena 112-108.
The tip-off was like a bang! Julius Randle came out firing, making an incredible 5 of his six three-point shots to begin the tame. The Raptors hung tough, though, they finished the first quarter on a 7-0 run to be down only by 4 points, 30-26.
It wasn't just Julius that got going last night. Jalen Brunson scored 10 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter, while Quentin Grimes and Immanuel Quickley had 16 and 13 points, respectively, to keep the Knicks rolling north of the border for their first time in over seven years, snapping an 11-game road losing streak against the Raptors. The win marked Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau's 100th victory for the Knicks.
The Raptors were in it till late!
The Raptors were again in this game until late as they refused to throw in the towel. A 6-0 run at halftime saw them trail 57-47, but they stood their ground. Refusing to be discouraged, they marched into the third quarter with fire in their eyes and determination in their feet. Three points down, nothing quite. But as the fourth quarter commenced with an 8-0 Knicks run, it quietly became apparent that the struggling Raptors' efforts would not be enough. Still, you wanted to believe they could make a comeback, their spirits unwavering despite the scoreboard.
Yet any chance of getting a win at home was thwarted as those desperate shots began to flail short, adding to their mounting frustration.
Fred VanVleet and Gary Trent Jr. were great again but not enough!
Fred VanVleet and Gary Trent Jr. were lights out for the Raptors with 28 and 27 points, respectively, but the Knicks sealed the victory on a three-point play by Brunson late in the fourth quarter. Pascal Siakam notched another double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds; although he hit four of fourteen from the field, he left it all on the court in a hard-fought loss. Pascal has cooled off now in back-to-back games after putting a streak of 8 games with 25+ points, a Franchise-tieing record.
The Raptors' bench was not good once again, to say the least. They had 11 bench points in the first half and ended up with 15 total points in the game, which is clearly not good enough in the NBA. The Raptors bench has scored a total of 29 points in the last three games now. It's hard to predict what's next for the struggling Raptors now. The struggles are real, and the future is uncertain.
