NEW YORK _ It was one thing when Madison Square Garden was crowded with fans of the Lakers and LeBron James earlier this week. But while the Garden was filled again Friday night, it was chants of, "Let's go Raptors," that resonated the loudest. Actually, the Star Wars characters roaming the arena also got bigger cheers than the Knicks for much of the night.
But the Knicks turned some of those sounds around, Trailing by as many as 12 in the fourth quarter, a pair of Marcus Morris free throws tied the game with 4:03 remaining. But the cheers for a good effort were all the Knicks would get on this night, falling, 118-112, to the Raptors.
The Knicks' comeback fell short as OG Anunoby buried a 3-pointer out of a timeout to break the tie and the Knicks committed a shot clock violation, giving Toronto a lead they would not surrender. The Knicks got as close as 108-107, but Pascal Siakam blew past the defense for a dunk with 1:09 left and Anunoby swiped an Elfrid Payton pass, leading to a pair of Kyle Lowry free throws. One more 3-pointer by Siakam with 21.4 seconds to play iced it.
When the Knicks faced the Raptors in Toronto earlier this season, they built an early double-digit lead and saw it disappear in an avalanche, trailing by as many as 34 points in an eventual 28-point loss. Though this was a better show, in the end, the result was the same. Another loss, the 10th in the last 12 games, for the Knicks. But at least the opposition saw them as something better.
"They're different. I think, I notice a much more concerted effort on the defensive end," Raptors coach Nick Nurse said.
"I think they're pretty well organized now. They're running some stuff. They've got some belief. They're playing maybe some more of their vets."
This time the Knicks went up 13 in the first quarter, 26-13, before a late flurry cut the deficit for the Raptors to 28-20 at the end of the period. By halftime, the Raptors had nudged in front 56-53, and the Knicks could tell themselves that this was not like that time before.
Toronto started the second half with 3-point field goals from Lowry and Fred VanVleet and when Siakam hit a layup in traffic and the foul shot, the lead was up to 67-55 and beginning to look very familiar. But the Knicks countered with 10 consecutive points to close the gap to two with 6:57 left in the third quarter.
But a Marc Gasol 3-pointer, his first points of the game, pushed the lead to five. The Knicks closed within one this time and Gasol responded again with a 3-pointer. The deficit was six at the start of the fourth quarter, but quickly escalated into double-figures less than a minute in.
The problem for the Knicks is that with another loss, it was also another night when the entire starting lineup consisted of veteran players signed as free agents this summer. Other than the recent play of Damyean Dotson with RJ Barrett sidelined _ including a 21-point effort on this night _ the Knicks' player development has been stuck in mud. Morris also scored 21 points, and Julius Randle 20 for the Knicks
The Knicks have seen little signs of growth from Mitchell Robinson other than the athleticism that leads to his continued dunks and blocks. Kevin Knox has endured a lost season and Frank Ntilikina is mired in a miserable shooting slump since returning from a strained groin.
