Raptors keep away from one other collapse behind Scottie Barnes’ brilliance vs. Knicks

A deep sigh of reduction came visiting Scotiabank Area on Sunday because the Toronto Raptors got here away with a 125-116 win over the New York Knicks.

It did not come straightforward, and it as soon as once more seemed like they have been going to surrender a double-digit lead for the third straight contest. Toronto opened scorching, going up 17 close to the tip of the primary, however defensive lapses let the Knicks again into the sport, as they grabbed the lead within the third quarter behind a 12-0 run.

With the matchup tied 86-86 going into the fourth, head coach Nick Nurse took a threat. He sat his stars in Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet, which has oftentimes proved expensive for the Raptors. What adopted was a nice shock in Scotiabank Area, which for the primary time all season wasn’t bought out — maybe an indication of how little hope stays for the season.

As a substitute, it was a lineup of Juancho Hernangomez, Treasured Achiuwa, Chris Boucher, Gary Trent Jr. and Scottie Barnes that pushed the Raptors ahead. They outscored the Knicks 26-10 within the first 7:15 of the ultimate body, serving to Toronto put collectively a double-digit lead, which might in the end translate to a win.

Barnes led the cost by getting teammates concerned, as Trent put up huge pictures, ending with eight of his 24 factors within the fourth quarter. Nurse applauded Barnes’ potential to name screens for Trent for various actions, direct site visitors, push the group on the break, all whereas making easy passes — with maybe the outlier being his “74-yard landing.”

“Coaches tonight gave [Scottie] the lineup there within the fourth and he was capable of capitalize and run the present,” VanVleet mentioned post-game, after ending with a team-high 28 factors.

“He is continued to develop as a participant, and the sky is the restrict clearly.”

Barnes mentioned he was trying to simply play with “excessive I.Q.” by attacking the identical openings he discovered in opposition to the Knicks, as he completed with 19 factors, seven rebounds and 6 assists.

For something that didn’t work, Achiuwa and Boucher cleaned up the glass with offensive boards for what Nurse calls “high-spirit performs.” The centre duo in the end completed with a mixed 26 factors and 18 rebounds, because it marked the second profitable begin for Achiuwa.

On defence, that lineup slowed down the Knicks by “flying round within the zone” and limiting second probabilities.

The position gamers stepping up meant no Raptor logged over 40 minutes, ending a four-game streak for Siakam, who completed with 24 factors, seven rebounds and 6 assists in 33 minutes. It was their rebounding prowess that Nurse says allowed him to run with that lineup for thus lengthy, as they restricted the Knicks to at least one offensive rebound within the fourth, after they completed the primary three frames with 13.

The victory snapped a three-game dropping skid for the Raptors, and helped them bounce again from a tough loss on Saturday versus the Boston Celtics, the place they gave up an 11-point lead, and a Thursday loss vs. the Minnesota Timberwolves, the place they squandered an 18-point benefit. Surrendering leads has been a recurring pattern for the Raptors this season, as they now sit eleventh within the Jap Convention at 21-27, their worst via 48 video games because the 2012-13 season.

It appeared just like the Raptors might need sadly walked towards the same collapse on Sunday. They opened the primary quarter with arguably one in every of their finest frames of the season, outscoring the Knicks 37-22 behind a red-hot capturing show.

They held the momentum, though Julius Randle and R.J. Barrett mixed for 15 factors on 50 p.c capturing within the first quarter, which included this thunderous slam.

The second interval resembled extra of a scrimmage, with each groups combining for 9 turnovers. The insanity continued within the third, till the Knicks took maintain of momentum. With round three minutes left in that body, the Knicks ran off a 12-0 run to take their first lead because the first. Seven of these factors got here as second-chance alternatives.

That Barnes-led lineup in the end stopped the bleeding to take again the momentum, and likewise slowed down Randle, who completed with two factors within the closing body. When requested post-game how the Raptors can climate most of these storms, VanVleet chalked it as much as the character of the NBA.

“You’ll be able to’t actually think about the leads within the NBA. When you watch sufficient video games, you perceive, you recognize it’s up and down, you recognize it’s laborious to play with a lead,” he mentioned.

“Closing the video games, we are able to do this slightly bit higher. And also you actually do not need to be on the incorrect finish of a run to finish the sport, you recognize, like in Minnesota. We’re enjoying fairly good basketball, not nice. And positively not that championship caliber by any stretch, however we’re getting higher.”

Following the win, the Raptors now set their eyes on a seven-game highway journey earlier than returning to Scotiabank Area on the cusp of the NBA’s Feb. 9 commerce deadline.

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