Toronto loses its fourth straight game after an ok start before faltering in the final moments.
The Raptors held their own when shooting from three-point range and played with purpose and speed. Furthermore, they received nothing for it in the zero-sum game of win or lose.
Toronto lost its sixth game in the previous seven, falling 136-130 to the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. The Raptors were down four points with roughly six minutes remaining, demonstrating once again their inability to close out a close game.
Though improved from the beginning of the game, the Raptors’ starting lineup struggled in the closing minutes as the Knicks made a string of clutch three-pointers and Toronto’s offense was unable to keep up.
The Raptors didn’t play poorly overall, but it wasn’t good enough.
Their 14 three-pointers to New York’s 17 did not put them out of the game. They missed eight free throws, but New York missed six and had a worse percentage, so it wasn’t a major issue. Toronto only committed 10 turnovers during the game, so there was no problem.
The Raptors performed admirably, but not quite enough. It will occur during the course of a long season, but when a team is struggling, as Toronto is at the moment, it hurts much more.
Toronto’s OG Anunoby led with 29 points. Pascal Siakam, Scottie Barnes, and Dennis Schröder all had 20.
With 34 points, Julius Randle led New York, and RJ Barrett had 27.
