 | Amir Johnson, PF 32 MIN | 4-7 FG | 1-4 FT | 9 REB | 1 AST | 2 STL | 1 BLK | 4 TO | 9 PTS | +11He didn’t have a big game numbers-wise, but man, do I love watching him run the pick and roll. It seems to have become the set the Raptors run to break opponents runs, and he ran it with Lowry early in the fourth to great effect. Ended up with a couple steals, both off Jose Calderon entry passes, which had me wondering if he had a bit of a read on his former teammate. |  |
 | James Johnson, PF 24 MIN | 5-7 FG | 0-0 FT | 6 REB | 2 AST | 0 STL | 2 BLK | 0 TO | 10 PTS | +2Inserted to the starting lineup in place of the injured Landry Fields, and delivered after being saddled with two early fouls. His defence was stellar, as usual, and he was unbelievable in the lane offensively, whether it was dunking in traffic or dumping it off to the trailing Valanciunas. Another great game in what’s becoming a string of them. Lou Williams gets the headlines, but this guy has been just as valuable. |  |
 | Terrence Ross, SF 36 MIN | 7-15 FG | 0-1 FT | 3 REB | 1 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 18 PTS | +5Cooled off somewhat after a really hot start (he had 10 of the teams first 15), but still managed a couple highlight reel dunks, including one off a great hand-off by Jonas. His jump shot is so, so smooth, and you can tell he was confident getting it off tonight against the mediocre Knick defenders. | |
 | Jonas Valanciunas, C 22 MIN | 2-6 FG | 6-6 FT | 5 REB | 1 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 10 PTS | +9Took a nasty elbow to the head from Samuel Dalembert that resulted in an ejection, and then took advantage of the lack of rim protection by taking the ball at the rim for the entirety of the third quarter. His shots didn’t always fall, but he did a good job of getting to the free throw line and getting his points. His rebound positioning looked a little shaky at times, but overall a solid performance. |  |
 | Kyle Lowry, PG 31 MIN | 7-12 FG | 6-6 FT | 4 REB | 9 AST | 3 STL | 0 BLK | 4 TO | 22 PTS | +20His hustle game was on full display tonight, particularly on an unbelievable save in the second quarter where his momentum carried him into the tunnel. The scoring and assist numbers are nice, and those are what got him the MVP chants we heard in the fourth, but it’s those steal and rebound totals that characterize what makes him so special. The guy just does not take a play off. |  |
 | Patrick Patterson, PF 21 MIN | 2-6 FG | 0-0 FT | 4 REB | 3 AST | 1 STL | 1 BLK | 0 TO | 5 PTS | -1He’s clearly been instructed to be more aggressive with his pick and roll D, moving so close to the ballhandler he’s nearly doubling. That aggressiveness resulted in five fouls tonight, which limited his effectiveness on the offensive end. Props for the hustle, and his man D was excellent, as usual. |  |
 | Tyler Hansbrough, PF 19 MIN | 0-2 FG | 1-4 FT | 5 REB | 1 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 1 PTS | +5He looks indecisive on defence, and got eaten alive by Cole Aldrich (ugh) on multiple possessions. He needs to commit to either doubling the ballhandler or staying on his man, and too often, he finds him self in no-mans land doing neither. You have to appreciate the effort, but I would have liked to see Chuck Hayes in there tonight, given Hansbrough’s general ineffectiveness. |  |
 | Bruno Caboclo, SF 2 MIN | 0-3 FG | 0-0 FT | 1 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 0 PTS | -4Got in late and missed a few shots. Say this for the kid: he’s not shy. Love the fan support for the youngster, and you can tell he does, too. |  |
 | Lucas Nogueira, C 2 MIN | 0-1 FG | 0-0 FT | 0 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 0 PTS | -4Great attitude, still looks lost out there (like Bruno, too). One thing I will say is that he appears to have already bulked up noticeably from the start of the season. The guy is putting in work, which is all you want to see at this point in his career. | |
 | Greivis Vasquez, PG 25 MIN | 9-13 FG | 0-0 FT | 4 REB | 5 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 2 TO | 21 PTS | +2The Knicks are a good team to slump-bust against, sure, but this was his most impressive performance of the season. Continually made the correct decisions on the offensive end – most of which involved taking the smaller Knicks point guards to the basket (including a nice post up in the first half). He addressed the crowd before the game, thanking them for their support, and you could tell he was fired up for this one; those rebounding numbers tell the story. | |
 | Louis Williams, SG 26 MIN | 6-14 FG | 6-6 FT | 2 REB | 1 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 22 PTS | +5Tied for the team lead in scoring with Lowry, but he got a little trigger happy for my tastes at times. I understand it’s part of his game, but there has to be some accountability for missing early in the shot clock 3 pointers. That said, he still did a good job getting to the line, and his sheer scoring numbers were impressive, as usual. | |
 | Dwane Casey I love the fact that when I yell “TIMEOUT!” at my TV, he seems to be able to hear me. Had to insert Vasquez into the game early after James Johnson got into foul trouble, and changed the team’s offensive strategy to a run-and-gun style to better suit his smaller lineup, which worked to great effect. Got both Brazilians in there for the last couple minutes, sating the fans. Two thumbs up. | |
Five Things We Saw
- The Raptors were never in trouble in this game, but you could tell things changed after Samuel Dalembert’s ejection. The Raptors began to take the ball into the lane with no hesitation, exposing the Knicks’ lack of interior defence and putting the game away.
- Speaking of Dalembert’s elbow, how in the hell was that a flagrant 2 and Andre Drummond’s mugging of James Johnson Friday wasn’t? I don’t even care whether they’re both 1s or 2s, but it’s ludicrous that that play was deemed more serious than Drummond’s retaliatory hit. Let’s see some consistency, please.
- I really feel for Jose Calderon. He got a nice ovation at the ACC and seemed to be jovial with his former teammates, but once – just once – I’d like to see the guy on a true contender (Dallas last season excluded). He deserves it.
- The crowd was phenomenal tonight, as usual, and it’s been really heartening to see all the buzz and excitement surrounding this team. That being said: can we please get someone other than Drake to have the final say on nicknames? “The Big Science?” “The Babyfaced Assassin?”
- The Raptors now head out for a lengthy road trip, which will certainly test their mettle and likely provide a bit of credence to the “fool’s gold” argument. That said, you can’t choose your schedule, and this team is doing a great job of beating the brakes off of teams they should. This six-game winning streak was accomplished over weaker opponents, but it’s a six-game winning streak all the same. Can’t wait for what should be a battle tomorrow against the Bulls.
