 | New York | 101 | Final Box Score | 116 | Toronto |  |
 A+ | D. Carroll27 MIN, 20 PTS, 2 REB, 0 AST, 7-13 FG, 1-6 3FG, 5-5 FT, 1 BLK, 0 TO, 29 +/-Had a solid early defensive effort, but still struggled to start the game, before finally hitting a 3 at the 3-minute mark of the second quarter, which got him going offensively a bit. Despite going 1/6 from 3, DC still dropped a cool 20 points, and was +29 for the game. It’s no coincidence that coming into this one, the Raptors were 15-4 when Carroll scored 10 or more. | |
 B+ | L. Nogueira35 MIN, 4 PTS, 4 REB, 1 AST, 2-3 FG, 0-0 3FG, 0-2 FT, 1 BLK, 0 TO, 32 +/-Not a hugely impressive night from Nogeuira in terms of his statistical contribution, but the fact that the Raptors won the rebounding battle, and he had fewer than 3 fouls in over 30 minutes of action (and was +32) means that he did enough to sustain the defensive effort for the Raps. I’ll take it. | |
 A+ | J. Valanciunas28 MIN, 12 PTS, 16 REB, 1 AST, 6-11 FG, 0-0 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 2 TO, 20 +/-It was evident early on that this was going to be one of those beast-mode games for JV, similar to the Boston game last week. Valanciunas started with a quick 6 points and 9 rebounds in the first quarter, and had already secured a double-double by halftime. JV was +20 for the game, largely as a result of his 16 rebounds (5 offensive). | |
 A | K. Lowry28 MIN, 16 PTS, 4 REB, 9 AST, 6-10 FG, 2-5 3FG, 2-3 FT, 1 BLK, 1 TO, 35 +/-His hot shooting early helped create some separation in the second quarter, as he led the early second quarter unit, alongside Cory Joseph and Norman Powell. Had a nasty 4-point play at the 10-minute mark of the second quarter to push the Raptors ahead seemingly for good. Just another night at the office for KLow. | |
 A | D. DeRozan28 MIN, 23 PTS, 5 REB, 5 AST, 8-17 FG, 0-0 3FG, 7-7 FT, 0 BLK, 2 TO, 24 +/-Started 0/4 from the field, but got hot to close the first quarter. The offensive efficiency for DeMar was below his season average in the first half, but an efficient third and 7 trips to the line netted 23 on 17 shots and a +24 for DeMar. | |
 C | C. Joseph25 MIN, 4 PTS, 4 REB, 4 AST, 2-9 FG, 0-1 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 2 TO, -13 +/-Probably the only real “weak link” for the Raptors today offensively, but was part of a energetic unit in the second quarter to sink the Knicks for the rest of the game. Still was -13 for the contest, after a sloppy fourth to close it out. | |
 A+ | N. Powell24 MIN, 21 PTS, 1 REB, 0 AST, 7-13 FG, 1-3 3FG, 6-6 FT, 0 BLK, 2 TO, -10 +/-Norm, like many of his bench running mates, was game ready today. Powell scored a quick and efficient 9 points in under 12 minutes in the first half, capitalizing on lazy close-outs and terrible interior defense from the Knicks. Powell’s play today is an encouraging sign for Dwane Casey and his staff, who pretty soon will find bench depth to be invaluable. | |
 A | T. Ross23 MIN, 12 PTS, 2 REB, 1 AST, 4-7 FG, 4-6 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 1 +/-Terrence seemed to have his rhythm tonight, finding his spots easily for open looks, and executing off of great shot prep leading to a few tough makes as well. Ross was 4/5 from 3 in the first half and contributed an efficient 12 points in 23 minutes of action. | |
 B | P. Siakam13 MIN, 4 PTS, 4 REB, 0 AST, 2-3 FG, 0-0 3FG, 0-0 FT, 1 BLK, 0 TO, -21 +/-Had some defensive miscues to start the fourth quarter leading to a Knicks surge to bring this game to within 17 points, but his speed in running the floor and ability in the post during garbage time earned him a quick 4 points. | |
 B | F. VanVleet5 MIN, 0 PTS, 0 REB, 0 AST, 0-2 FG, 0-1 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, -8 +/-Garbage time. Nothing else. | |
 C | J. Poeltl4 MIN, 0 PTS, 0 REB, 0 AST, 0-1 FG, 0-0 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, -14 +/-Not much from Poeltl tonight aside from an ugly turnover as part of a sloppy start to the fourth for Toronto. This was unlike the mistake-free play we’re using to seeing from the rookie big-man, but at this point, this is hardly a concern. | |
 B | B. Caboclo1 MIN, 0 PTS, 0 REB, 0 AST, 0-0 FG, 0-0 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 0 +/-Still 2 years away? | |
 A- | Dwane Casey While the prospect of a mid-afternoon game scared me a little bit, from a game preparation and mental readiness perspective (something usually a challenge for the Raptors), they came out really sharp. To start the second and third quarters, the Raptors were simply miles ahead of the Knicks defensively, on the glass, and in finding easier shots in the flow of the offense. And resting KLow and DeMar for the duration of the fourth (despite the Knicks’ run) was a good call. | |
THINGS WE SAW
- Balanced offense and bench contributions: In a typical feel-good game for the Raptors, the offense was once again brilliant against the lowly Knicks defense which ranks 25th in the league. So good in fact that the Raps had 5 guys in double figures by halftime (Lowry, DeRozan, JV, Ross and Carroll), and the rest was history. The league’s best offense torched the Knicks for 116 points on 49% shooting. The extra boost from Toronto came from the bench sparks offered by Terrence Ross and Normal Powell, who both hit double figures.
- Getting to the line: Despite the blowout nature of the contest, I liked the Raptors’ aggressiveness in getting to the rack, yielding 23 free throw attempts. As we’ve seen from this all season long, when the Raps shoot the ball in the 50% range from the field, AND get to the line, they’re virtually unstoppable on offense.
- Defensive and rebounding effort: The Raptors defense, aside from lapses early in the fourth, had an overall outstanding effort on D. While some of that was the Knicks flat out quitting for large chunks of the game, the Raptors held the Knicks under 100 and outscoring Knicks 27-8 in the third which settled this thing for good.
