 | Raptors | 113 | Final Box Score | 106 | Knicks |  |
 A- | O. Anunoby36 MIN, 15 PTS, 6 REB, 1 AST, 0 STL, 7-15 FG, 1-6 3FG, 0-0 FT, 1 BLK, 0 TO, 5 +/- It isn’t a coincidence that the Raptors’ defence has looked much better since Anunoby returned to the lineup last time out against Philadelphia. We’ve become too accustomed to his ability to swallow opponents whole, zip into open lanes for steals, and stick to guys like glue off-ball. He gave just enough offensively, too, to help his team cross the finish line. | ||||||||
 A+ | P. Siakam41 MIN, 52 PTS, 9 REB, 7 AST, 1 STL, 17-25 FG, 2-6 3FG, 16-18 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, 8 +/- Four Raptors. Only four Raptors in franchise history (Vince Carter, Fred VanVleet, DeMar DeRozan, and Terrence Ross) had scored 50 points or more prior to tonight, and now Siakam joins that exclusive club. But it wasn’t just the points—Siakam did it all, creating open look after open look for his teammates, smothering guys on the defensive end, crashing the glass, setting screens. Whatever the Raptors needed (and they needed a lot), he delivered. A literal career-best performance. | ||||||||
 B | J. Hernangomez28 MIN, 4 PTS, 5 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 2-4 FG, 0-2 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, -2 +/- A steady, professional, workmanlike performance. Hernangomez has found his role operating within the gaps, providing an increasingly stable presence on both ends of the floor (his cutting continues to be particularly impressive). On a night where both Khem Birch and Gary Trent Jr. were out, he did a nice job stepping into the starting lineup and holding his own. | ||||||||
 D- | S. Barnes27 MIN, 2 PTS, 6 REB, 3 AST, 0 STL, 1-10 FG, 0-2 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, -16 +/- Look, Barnes avoids an “F” grade here because he had a few legitimately great moments—in particular, a wonderful dish to Anunoby for a monster jam in the second quarter. Overall, of course, his performance left a lot to be desired. The defence remains a mess, and he started the game going 0-5 from the floor, finishing just 1-10. Aside from his recent masterclass against the Nets, Barnes has looked largely out of sorts this season. But hey, he’s a sophomore, and if Siakam’s career arc has taught us anything, it’s that growth isn’t linear. Barnes will be fine. Tonight, though? Not his best game. | ||||||||
 A | F. VanVleet40 MIN, 28 PTS, 1 REB, 4 AST, 3 STL, 10-24 FG, 4-10 3FG, 4-4 FT, 1 BLK, 2 TO, -5 +/- Siakam’s performance will receive all of the attention (and rightly so), but VanVleet played a nearly flawless game himself. When Siakam wasn’t on the floor, he was, holding down those minutes by bullying his way into the paint with a lethal combination of tight handles and power to create quality looks. When Siakam was on the floor, the two ran the pick-and-roll together over and over, pounding the Knicks with triples and downhill drives. | ||||||||
 A | M. Flynn26 MIN, 8 PTS, 0 REB, 2 AST, 0 STL, 3-8 FG, 2-5 3FG, 0-0 FT, 1 BLK, 0 TO, 16 +/- Malachi Flynn, stand up! The stat sheet won’t show anything special, but Flynn was Toronto’s top bench player tonight, entering the game and immediately making an impact by penetrating the defence and creating good looks for teammates. He was a pest defensively, hit a couple meaningful triples, and even had a vital block in crunch time (yes, you didn’t misread—Flynn closed this game) to help seal Toronto’s victory. | ||||||||
 D+ | C. Boucher13 MIN, 2 PTS, 3 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 1-4 FG, 0-2 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, 11 +/- An off-night for Boucher. They happen—he’s pretty consistently been one of Toronto’s best bench performers this season. He’ll bounce back. | ||||||||
 B | T. Young24 MIN, 2 PTS, 7 REB, 0 AST, 3 STL, 1-3 FG, 0-1 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 11 +/- Like Hernangomez, Young played his role well. He did his best to tackle larger defenders, attacked the offensive glass with ferocity, and got his hands in the muck for steals. A master of the little things, Thad has been a welcome veteran presence for Toronto since his arrival, and that was on display again in New York. | ||||||||
 C- | C. Koloko05 MIN, 0 PTS, 1 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 0-1 FG, 0-0 3FG, 0-0 FT, 1 BLK, 0 TO, 7 +/- He didn’t play much, so I won’t linger here. A couple positive flashes in his few minutes, but cracking rotation minutes was a tough go tonight. | ||||||||
 A- | Nick Nurse Nurse has received a significant amount of criticism lately, but his rotations against the Knicks were about as solid as one could expect for a shorthanded team (no Trent, Birch, Porter, Achiuwa, etc.) gunning to snap their losing skid. He ensured one of VanVleet and Siakam were on the floor at all times, and trusted the reserves (even Flynn!) that were playing well. | ||||||||
Things We Saw
- The three-ball was back for VanVleet, which was a welcome sight. But more importantly, he continues to penetrate the defence and create a level of rim pressure that we’ve never seen from him to this point in his career. Will he be able to sustain it? You would be forgiven for any skepticism, but for now he’s parlaying his handle and brute strength to generate legitimate advantages in the half-court, which Toronto badly needs. As ever, relying so heavily on guys like VanVleet and Siakam throughout the course of the regular season can have negative long-term effects, but it can be difficult to focus on the road ahead when the one beneath your feet is crumbling.
- Eat your heart out, Atlas. Siakam has been regaining his groove over the last couple of games after returning from injury, and he looked ever the All-NBA superstar (I mean, the man scored Toronto’s last 17 points of the third quarter) tonight. The six-game skid certainly wasn’t on him (over that stretch, the Raptors were 16.8 points per 100 possessions better with him on the floor), and so it’s heartwarming to see the team muster up a win and not waste another herculean effort.
- Toronto’s defence was much tighter than it’s been recently (of course, Anunoby being back in the lineup helps), with the Raptors mostly rotating well and getting their hands in the faces of the Knicks. It wasn’t flawless, of course (securing defensive rebounds to close out possessions and preventing wide-open corner threes continues to be a struggle), but it was enough to get under New York’s skin and fabricate the necessary transition opportunities on the other end. Due to its scrambling nature, it’s painfully obvious when the Raptors’ defence isn’t clicking, so seeing it jive tonight was a good reminder of how stifling it can be.
