 | TOR Raptors | 118 | Final Box Score | 112 | NY Knicks |  |
 B | O. Anunoby26 MIN, 7 PTS, 2 REB, 0 AST, 1 STL, 3-7 FG, 1-2 3FG, 0-0 FT, 1 BLK, 1 TO, -5 +/- Wasn’t a spectacular game from OG, and he definitely could’ve been more of a presence on the boards in this one, but his defense was big when it had to be at the end of the game. | |
 A | P. Siakam33 MIN, 23 PTS, 7 REB, 3 AST, 0 STL, 9-15 FG, 2-5 3FG, 3-3 FT, 1 BLK, 3 TO, -6 +/- The All-Star starter is starting to find his legs again after being pretty visibly not 100% coming back from the injury. Showed signs of his game returning, especially in the fourth quarter when he hit a couple of threes and used his first step to get a huge dunk. | |
 B+ | M. Gasol30 MIN, 6 PTS, 9 REB, 4 AST, 0 STL, 2-5 FG, 2-4 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, 6 +/- The standard “solid but not spectacular” Marc Gasol game. Made a lot of great plays for his teammates on offense and hit a couple of threes, played some good defense as the Raptors closed it out, and was generally one of the better Raptors in this game. | |
 A | K. Lowry35 MIN, 26 PTS, 6 REB, 3 AST, 4 STL, 5-12 FG, 3-8 3FG, 13-14 FT, 1 BLK, 0 TO, -6 +/- 26 points on 12 FGA, with four steals and some massive defensive plays down the stretch thrown in. He was once again everywhere, as he has been this season, finding ways to impact the game and helping the Raptors overcome a somewhat lackluster game through three quarters to come away with the win. | |
 A | F. VanVleet39 MIN, 16 PTS, 0 REB, 9 AST, 1 STL, 6-12 FG, 3-7 3FG, 1-2 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 3 +/- A really nice line from Fred in this game with an efficient 16 points and 9 assists, and he, like the rest of the starters, shone towards the end of the game. | |
 A | N. Powell25 MIN, 16 PTS, 2 REB, 3 AST, 1 STL, 6-11 FG, 3-5 3FG, 1-2 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, 8 +/- It’s got to the point where it feels strange to watch Norm miss shots. He’s playing with such great confidence in his own game, and he’s just been so good during the last stretch. 16 points is a down performance compared to the recent stretch of games, but he was really good in this game once again, and has become a great Raptors bench threat. | |
 C | S. Ibaka20 MIN, 14 PTS, 0 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 6-11 FG, 2-2 3FG, 0-0 FT, 2 BLK, 0 TO, 3 +/- The blocked shots and scoring is always nice from Serge, but he didn’t grab a single rebound in 20 minutes while the Knicks were feasting on the offensive boards, and that just can’t happen, and was a big part of why this game remained close. | |
 B- | R. Hollis-Jefferson19 MIN, 5 PTS, 2 REB, 2 AST, 2 STL, 2-5 FG, 0-0 3FG, 1-2 FT, 1 BLK, 0 TO, 18 +/- Not a bad game from Rondae, but he, like Serge, wasn’t nearly doing enough to protect the Raptors’ glass. | |
 B+ | T. Davis13 MIN, 5 PTS, 3 REB, 1 AST, 1 STL, 2-3 FG, 1-2 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, 9 +/- The rookie continues to be solid in all of his minutes, giving the Raptors a little bit of whatever they need on any given night. | |
 B | Nick Nurse It’s tough sometimes coming into a game like this one against the Knicks after a big win over Philadelphia, and it’s easy to play down to your opponent, which the Raptors did a lot in this game, but Nurse got what he needed from the team to get the win, including some great defense late in the fourth quarter as they sealed the victory, and that’s what counts at the end of the day. | |
Things We Saw
- The Raptors defense can be great sometimes, but that intensity has really waxed and waned lately, and this game was no different. The possessions they were engaged, the Knicks had a tough time, but they often took their foot off the gas at that end and that helped keep New York in the game.
- Toronto shot the lights out. 17-35 from downtown, and a lot of them were great looks opened up by the offense humming, as it has been since the Raptors got healthy.
- Again, rebounding is a concern sometimes, and it was in this one. The Raptors gave up 14 offensive rebounds, for 35% of the Knicks’ own misses, and that contributed to a game being closer than it needed to be.
