Game Thread: New York Knicks @ Toronto Raptors 7:30 2/8/2018 [Game #55]

rady

Administrator
Staff member

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(23-32) -- (37-16)

VenueTVTIME
Air Canada Centre, Toronto, CAMSG7:30 PM EST


Probable starters:


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Injury Report

New York KnicksToronto Raptos
Ron Baker - Right Shoulder Injury (OUT)No injuries to report
Enes Kanter Oral Surgery (OUT)-
Joakim Noah - Personal Reason (NWT)-
Kristaps Porzingis - Torn Left ACL (OUT)-

Game Preview

TORONTO -- The New York Knicks and the Toronto Raptors will enter their game Thursday night at opposite ends of the emotional spectrum.

The Raptors are coming off a 111-91 blowout win over the first-place Boston Celtics at the Air Canada Centre and now are one game behind them in the Eastern Conference.

"I just like the way we came out and set the tone on both ends of the floor," said Raptors coach Dwane Casey, who did not need to play his starters in the fourth quarter for the second game in a row.

The Knicks, meanwhile, lost forward Kristaps Porzingis for the season when he suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament Tuesday night early in the second quarter of a 103-89 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.

Porzingis dunked on Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo and as he came down, he stepped on Antetokounmpo's foot and his ankle buckled. He had 10 points and the Knicks led 31-30 at the time of his injury.

"I think when K.P. went down, it kind of deflated us some," Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek said. "He is a big part of the things we do. No one is going to feel sorry for you when your guys are out, so you have to step it up."

The Knicks (23-32) have lost four games in a row and seven of their past nine and are five games removed from a playoff spot.

The injury to Porzingis adds to New York's list that includes guard Ron Baker (right shoulder surgery) and center Enes Kanter (oral surgery). Both are listed as out by the team with Baker undergoing arthroscopic surgery on Wednesday.

Kanter had 19 points and 16 rebounds on Tuesday.

"More than a basketball player, he's my brother," Kanter said of Porzingis. "I don't want to see anyone going down like that hurting his knee. He's about to be an All-Star. I'm just going to pray for him tonight. He is the most important part of our family."

Knicks guard Tim Hardaway Jr. will be available Thursday after leaving the game on Tuesday during the fourth quarter.

The Knicks also traded disgruntled center Willy Hernangomez on Wednesday to the Charlotte Hornets for two second-round draft picks (2020, 2021) and little-used forward Johnny O'Bryant.

The teams have split the first two of their four scheduled meetings this season.

The Raptors won 107-84 on Nov. 17 at the ACC when the Knicks shot 33 percent from the field.

The Knicks went on a 28-0 run five days later to defeat the Raptors 108-100 at Madison Square Garden. Hardaway scored a career-best 38 points in the game.

The Raptors (37-16) led the surprisingly sluggish Celtics by as many as 29 points on Tuesday. Toronto has the best home record in the NBA at 22-4.

"I thought when you play as hard and the intensity as we did; it kind of sets the tone and gives you a rhythm offensively," Casey said after the game Tuesday. "You know, we had that one tough stretch there, but once we got our rhythm and started moving the ball, getting from side to side, because they're one of the best defensive teams in the league, their length, but our ball movement trumped them. We got the ball moving a little bit, but again, it came from our defensive intensity."

Once again, the Raptors' bench was productive with C.J. Miles scoring 20 points, Delon Wright 14 and Fred VanVleet 10.

Starting point guard Kyle Lowry led the scoring with 23 points eight rebounds and four assists, but when asked about what kind of message was sent by the win, answered: "Nothing, it's one game."

"We did our job," he said. "The second unit played extremely well in the second quarter and got us the lead. We played well, it's one game."

Despite the loss of Porzingis, Casey said the Knicks still have some weapons that his team must respect.

"I don't get caught up in records, last game," he said after practice on Wednesday. "I know who they have and the matchups, the history of the matchups that we have, the problems and the strengths we have against them, too. My whole concern now is the New York Knicks and how we're going to approach the game."

(CBSSports / STATS)
 
Thanks again, Rady.

We are going to have some weird rotations tonight between injuries and the recent trades. Probably going to get our brains beaten in, but oh well, let?s go Knicks!
 
Both Luke Kornet and Isaiah Hicks have been called up from the G League. Not sure if they will get any playing time tonight.
 
Can?t wait for Hornacek to give heavy minutes to our ?young talents? like Jack, Lee, and Lance Thomas. Not to mention O?Quinn, who is going to decline his player option and walk at the end of this season.
 

jimkcchief88

All Star
Another lost season:( when will the nightmare end??? I know Melo had to go but he took legitimacy and relevancy with him. KP has yet to prove he can survive an 82 game NBA season and the rest of our guys are marginal starters to backups. I like the Mudiay pickup, but that?s also an admission that we whiffed on our lottery pick. Why was Pjax allowed to make that pick on his way out the door??? He?s sitting on his ranch chilling, smoking dubies, counting his $$$$, and laughing at usšŸ˜”
 
Rady nailed it with the starters. O?Quinn, Beasley, THJ, Lee, and Jack. Are we going to give Beasley a chance to be a 20+ ppg scorer the rest of this season to make sure we can?t afford to sign him in the offseason?
 
Another lost season:( when will the nightmare end??? I know Melo had to go but he took legitimacy and relevancy with him. KP has yet to prove he can survive an 82 game NBA season and the rest of our guys are marginal starters to backups. I like the Mudiay pickup, but that?s also an admission that we whiffed on our lottery pick. Why was Pjax allowed to make that pick on his way out the door??? He?s sitting on his ranch chilling, smoking dubies, counting his $$$$, and laughing at usšŸ˜”

Don?t be fooled. Perry was obsessed with trying to get his former lottery pick, Elfrid Payton, from Orlando, but the price was too high so he went after Mudiay. Perry?s assessment of Mudiay vs Ntilikina?s talent is worth zero.
 
Kornet making his Knicks debut with 4 minutes to go in the 1st quarter. He appears to be our backup center behind O?Quinn tonight.
 

mafra

Legend
I wonder if Beasley and Kanter are keepers. We could use both, so hopefully they agree to team-friendly contracts. I want to keep Kanter for locker room leader and would like to keep Beasley to shoulder the scoring burden next season. Hopefully a 1 year deal worth.
 

tiger0330

Legend
Both Luke Kornet and Isaiah Hicks have been called up from the G League. Not sure if they will get any playing time tonight.
Only thing worth watching the rest of this season is the young guys. I saw Kornet is SL, haven't seen Hicks, I don't recall any reports of him doing well in the GL either.
 
Only thing worth watching the rest of this season is the young guys. I saw Kornet is SL, haven't seen Hicks, I don't recall any reports of him doing well in the GL either.

I think Hicks was playing well in the G League. Lots of double-doubles.

Knicks trail by 5 at the end of the 1st quarter.
 
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