Raptors vs. Knicks: Score, Highlights, Reaction from 2017 Regular Season
DeMar DeRozan appears ready to take his game to the next level with Kyle Lowry unavailable.
The All-Star scored the game-winning shot with 1.9 seconds remaining to help the Toronto Raptors (36-24) to a 92-91 win over the New York Knicks (24-36) at Madison Square Garden.
NBA provided a look at the go-ahead jumper:
DeRozan ended up scoring the last 12 points for Toronto, bringing his total to 37 for the game to go with eight rebounds.
The Raptors announced earlier in the day they would be without star point guard Lowry for an extended period, and the team notably struggled without him. The Knicks built up a 17-point first-half lead that became 13 at the half.
This lead had evaporated by the beginning of the fourth quarter, setting up a dramatic finish. Josh Eberley of Hoop Mag joked about the Knicks' struggles:
A Courtney Lee three-pointer gave New York the lead with 10 seconds remaining, but DeRozan's heroics helped the Raptors get back on top. Carmelo Anthony had a shot to win as time expired but couldn't connect.
Anthony finished with 24 points, although he needed 26 shots to get there.
Frank Isola of the New York Daily News summed up the game for the Knicks:
New York got the game off to as good of a start as anyone could have hoped, showcasing impressive defense and hustle that hasn't been seen for much of the year. With this effort and balance offensively, the squad was able to build up a 25-21 lead at the end of the first quarter that expanded to a 53-40 advantage at halftime.
Although DeRozan had 17 for Toronto, Josh Lewenberg of TSN noted the other major problems in the first half with Lowry out:
As NBA showed, the first-half play was at times pretty ugly:
Still, the Knicks were able to remain in control against a tough opponent.
The momentum shifted quickly at the start of the second half. The Raptors outscored the home team 23-14 in the third quarter to cut the lead down to four, thanks mostly to improved defense and outside shots finally falling.
Better ball movement offensively also helped:
Serge Ibaka ended with 15 points and four rebounds in his third game with his new team.
With eight straight points to start the fourth quarter, the Raptors were able to grab the lead. The Knicks continued to fight, however, and the game was tied going into the final few minutes.
Four made baskets in the final 33 seconds created plenty of drama, but it was the Raptors who escaped with the hard-fought win.
Toronto now has one of the most important stretches of the schedule coming up with a home-and-home battle against the Washington Wizards Wednesday and Friday. These battles will be huge for the Eastern Conference standings, which means the Raptors will have to perform better from start to finish than what they showed Monday.
The Knicks will go on the road Wednesday to take on the Orlando Magic, beginning a stretch of six of seven games away from home.
Postgame Reaction
Derrick Rose didn't believe there was much he could have done to stop the final shot, per Al Iannazzone of Newsday:
Meanwhile, Anthony was more upset he couldn't match it on the final attempt, throwing his headband on the floor in anger.
"I had a wide-open shot," he said, per Ian Begley of ESPN. "I made a tougher shot the other day. I should've made that shot. It was just frustration at that."
At least Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek can find some positives.
"I thought defensively we were pretty good," he said after the game, per the team's Twitter account. "We were helping each other out, we were active."
Playing well for 48 full minutes will be the next challenge.
