In a surprisingly close game, the New York Knicks took the Toronto Raptors down to the final minute, although falling short for the 16th consecutive matchup.
Another one bites the dust, but barely for the New York Knicks against one of the NBA’s top teams, the Toronto Raptors. At home, on the second of a back-to-back, it went to the final minutes, teetering around a tie for most of the second half.
However, a final stretch from the three-point-wielding Raptors led to a 104-99 final score.
Somewhat surprisingly, this became the Kadeem Allen game. He didn’t light up the box score as an everyday player would, but 14 points marked the two-way player’s career high, adding a Kevin Knox-esque floater along the way. Six assists and four rebounds were added.
Allen has an opportunity to shine with a depleted guard depth in New York. No Tim Hardaway Jr. or Courtney Lee, and Allonzo Trier takes about 25 minutes without much backcourt competition, for now, while Frank Ntilikina and Emmanuel Mudiay heal.
As for Knox, his 20 points led the Knicks in 40 minutes, but on a cold 7-for-21 from the field. Opportunities will continue to arise for the rookie forward, except with struggles for the rest of the season and as he grows in the NBA.
The recent star of the show, Dennis Smith Jr., didn’t have the best of nights. He went just 4-for-17 for 13 points but, like Allen, added six assists and four rebounds. Together, the sophomore guard’s 60 points and 20 assists in his first three games set an interesting franchise mark:
Dennis Smith Jr. is averaging 21.3 points and 6.7 assists in his first three games with New York. Per @EliasSports, Smith Jr. is the first Knick in franchise history with at least 60 points and 20 assists in his first three games with the team.
— NY_KnicksPR (@NY_KnicksPR) February 9, 2019
Not lost, though is this as New York’s 16th straight loss. They now sit at 10-44. That’s a positive for the draft lottery, but the on-court play leaves much — an understatement — to be desired.
- DeAndre Jordan had yet another double-double, adding 10 points and 18 rebounds.
- Another positive, Mitchell Robinson followed up with another strong performance. His 15 points marked a career high. Seven rebounds and three blocks were added.
- Noah Vonleh moved to the bench in favor of Mario Hezonja, following just three minutes against the Pistons Friday night. Head coach David Fizdale gave him 25 minutes to Hezonja’s 25.
- No Luke Kornet, again. That experiment officially seems over. Kornet will become a restricted free agent this summer.
The Knicks will return to the court on Monday, Feb. 11, to face the Cleveland Cavaliers. It’s a battle of teams “jockeying” for position in the draft lottery.