In the most important Raptors game in a long time, Lawson, Martin, Hepburn, Temple, and Mogbo all subbed in with 2:05 left. The sideline seats at Scotiabank Arena were empty.
This NBA Cup quarter-final match was the second game against the Knicks, and the closest the Raptors got was hope in the first quarter. BI went at Anunoby, then Jordan Clarkson repelled off of him. BI even hit a triple. The Raptors gave up 20 points to Brunson, but BI had 17. The ball was hopping, especially the ball movment that led to Walter’s second triple. All of Scotiabank erupted after Shead splashed his triple.
But the hope that they might put up a fight against Brunson, Bridges, Hart, Anunoby, and KAT through four quarters was quickly dashed.
Nothing went right in the second quarter and the Knicks’ lead ballooned to 24 points by halftime. The Knicks maintained their dominance in the second half, and the closest the Raptors got to an NBA Cup was having it imprinted onto the Scotiabank stanchion.
In the second quarter, Anunoby bullied the Raptors bench. Mamu attacked the basket after a corner-to-wing pass, but was denied by Anunoby. Then, he rejected Dick and Lawson. Anunoby hit Chucky Hepburn so hard he flew back down to the 905. Toronto was reminded of why he was so highly valued, and RJ Barrett was dearly, dearly missed.
To make matters worse, the Knicks’ five blocks in the second quarter were punctuated by KAT blocking Barnes on a transition lay-up attempt with the mics clearly picking up, “Give me that shit!”
The Raptors gave up 34 points to the Knicks while scoring a measly 13. Barnes and BI struggled in the second frame – combining for six points – and even before the gap started to widen, the Raptors were struggling to find good shots. Scottie got stonewalled by Bridges towards the end of the frame and Anunoby picked off his pass. Getting a steal from the Defensive Player of the Month and the face of his former franchise, Anunoby couldn’t keep the smile off his face as he dunked the ball in transition.
Even though the Raptors were successful in their hack-a-Robinson tactic to win back possessions – he went 1-4 at the free throw line – BI took two tough 3s, both empty possessions.
KAT had huge dunks on Poeltl and Barnes. Brunson’s clutchness was evident early as his floater put the Knicks up 54-43. Mitchell Robinson grabbed one of Knicks’ six offensive boards, leading to a paint two by Jordan Clarkson. Not only was OG a defensive menace, he had eight points and at the end of the second frame, grabbed his own miss from the corner and drew the foul. He hit both free throws.
The ball movement in the first quarter disappeared for the rest of the game, and the Knicks maintained their lead. Their starters all scored in double-digits, led by Brunson’s 35 points.
There were some positives from this game, however. They kept playing hard even when a comeback seemed nearly impossible. Shead had a career-high 18 points. Walter had a solid first quarter and threw down a dunk in the fourth to narrow the lead to 14. There was a glimmer of hope. BI had 31, though the Glorilla effect on winning seems to have worn off (and by now, we’re well aware of the limits of iso Brandon ball). Despite an underwhelming game for Barnes, he displayed leadership, playing through non-foul calls and commanding his teammates to apply pressure even when the game seemed nearly over.
With a two-game sample size now, the Raptors know they’re no match for the Knicks. How this game shapes their identity after this rest period remains to be seen.
