Game thread: New York Knicks @ Toronto Raptors 7:30 3/18/2019 [Game #71]

The New York Knicks scored a dramatic 124-123 win over LeBron James and the visiting Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday, which shows that there can be highlights even in the most dismal of seasons.

The Knicks, who have the worst record in the league at 14-56, will try to improve on that rare success Monday night when they visit the Toronto Raptors, the NBA's second-best team at 49-21.

The Raptors, who easily handled the Lakers on Thursday night, are coming off a 110-107 loss on the road to the Detroit Pistons on Sunday.

The Raptors will be facing a Knicks team on a high after Mario Hezonja blocked a shot by James with 2.3 remaining to seal the win. The Knicks rallied from an 11-point deficit with 3:45 to play to end an eight-game losing streak.

"They were pumped,'' Knicks coach David Fizdale said. "All of them were pumped for Mario, since he has been going through his ups and downs.

Lance Thomas, the longest-tenured Knick, is familiar with the way the season is ending but said there is a difference this time.

"Right now we're building,"' Thomas told the New York Post. "We're trying to keep our guys fighting, building a culture and having guys finish the season the right way.

"This is the first season since I've been a Knick where everyone's been completely focused on the season. What we're doing is definitely working... from a team standpoint. I'm definitely looking forward to the future."

That has not always been the case, according to Thomas.

"There's been instances where the losing takes a toll on certain guys,"Thomas said. "With this team here, obviously the record isn't what we want it to be, but the morale is high."

Fizdale said Dennis Smith Jr. (sore back) and Noah Vonleh (sprained ankle) are day-to-day.

Meanwhile, the Raptors guard Fred VanVleet, who missed 12 games with a thumb injury, scored 17 points in his return. But that was not enough against the Pistons, whose coach, Dwane Casey, was fired by the Raptors at the end of last season. The Pistons swept the three-game series with the Raptors for the first time since the 2008-09 season.

The Pistons outscored the Raptors 32-23 in the fourth quarter. Toronto has lost four of its past seven games.

With Kyle Lowry out for the second straight game with a sprained left ankle and questionable for Monday, Jeremy Lin started at point guard Sunday with VanVleet coming in off the bench.

"What do we miss when we don't have Fred out there? We miss a pretty solid shooter, we miss an offense organizer, we miss a good communicator on D, and one of my favorite things is he seems to be a bit of a bail-out bucket-maker," Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. "When things aren't going well in the offense or when the shot clock's running late, he can fill in a few of those buckets for us, too."

Kawhi Leonard scored 33 points and had 10 rebounds Sunday, but he has not been playing both ends of back-to-back games this season.

Serge Ibaka will not play Monday as he completes his three-game suspension for fighting in Monday's loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Raptors have won both games against the Knicks this season.

--Field Level Media

(STATS / cbssports.com)

Thanks, Rady.

Not sure anything that anyone does in this final stretch means anything. Very small number of guys are signed to this team for next season and some of those guys could be traded in the offseason. Most important thing remains that guaranteed top 5 pick.

Ntilikina to be ?evaluated? again tomorrow. I think his season is done and his time as a Knick is done. Guys have had their parachutes not open when skydiving and have come back faster from injuries than this.

Down 12 in the 1st quarter. Toronto looks intent to not let us compete in this one.

Yeah Knicks pulling a no-show tonight after yesterday?s come from behind win.

htr10 said:

ntilikina to be ?evaluated? again tomorrow. I think his season is done and his time as a knick is done. Guys have had their parachutes not open when skydiving and have come back faster from injuries than this.

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lol

The French Bargnani.

Talk about a groin injury... suffering from
a grade-A ego strain?

Hey, on a lighter note, we might lose by 50 tonight!

That foul on Lowry by MRob is way more harmful than that flagrant Trier committed on Caruso last game but they never call a flagrant for it, Lowry visibly hurt. Both fouls were unintentional but Trier got called for a flagrant.

Nice spin move and layup by Ellenson, I'd like to see more of him with Vonleh perhaps leaving in FA next season. Nice handle for a big man.

Boy when the Knicks mail it in they mail it in Suns playing a lot better these days...our Knicks um um um

Your defense sucks if you let Jeremy Lin get 20 against you. He's been horrible since joining TOR.

jimkcchief88 said:

Boy when the Knicks mail it in they mail it in Suns playing a lot better these days...our Knicksv um um um

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The boys got lucky winning that game against the Fakers. When was the last time LeBron ever failed at hero ball, except for yesterday it never happens, think I read that was his worst 4th qtr ever.

Yeah, these kids burnt out. I?m not even sure Fiz has a system or structure. It fees like Lord of the Flies, sometimes.

I bet we win 2 games tops the final 11 games.

There aren?t words I can type that can overstate the importance of the upcoming lottery and what that entails for this franchise moving forward.

Think Curry for GSW; Towns for Minny; LeBron and Kyrie for CLE...

If Knicks get Zion... you can?t imagije the impact, unless you recall 1985 (Ewing). What he?ll do for the franchise.

RJ and Jay could possibly have similar impact.

I?ve come around in Coby White... he could be special... however, the mocks are all over on him.

The kid from Gonzaga would be a solid pickup, to play with MRob, KD, KI... but he?s not a franchise altering selection.

So, feel good that the end is near... now, the only question is where are we now? Is this 1985 or 2010? Will we get a Ewing and a 15 year playoff run? Will we get a Melo/Amar?e and just be sort of relevant?

I can?t imagine how nervous I?ll be when they reveal the 5th pick in the lottery... praying we don?t see our logo. Then the 4th... with Zion as the prize... the 3rd pick... then, imagine if we still alive... the 2nd pick.

Will we scream or have our knees buckle?

htr10 said:

Ntilikina to be ?evaluated? again tomorrow. I think his season is done and his time as a Knick is done. Guys have had their parachutes not open when skydiving and have come back faster from injuries than this.

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Be happy like me for Frank not being a part of the Knicks history Wreck season ..
I'm sorry to say, butt Fizdale does not belong in a head-coaching job position in the NBA or NCAA ..
The Fizdale's so-call development coaching of young players has been the pits of PITS!
I wouldn't be surprise to find out at a later date that Frank also asked to be traded the same time KP asked.
A 36 point BLOWOUT tonight .. David Fizdale CAN'T COACH !!!

Kiyaman said:

Be happy like me for Frank not being a part of the Knicks history Wreck season ..
I'm sorry to say, butt Fizdale does not belong in a head-coaching job position in the NBA or NCAA ..
The Fizdale's so-call development coaching of young players has been the pits of PITS!
I wouldn't be surprise to find out at a later date that Frank also asked to be traded the same time KP asked.
A 36 point BLOWOUT tonight .. David Fizdale CAN'T COACH !!!

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Yeah I?m kinda starting to agree; Suns playing better while our guys, not so much. We can?t keep hiring and firing coaches, FIZ needs to be on a short leash. Hard to see the playing Knicks playing this bad under Mark Jackson.

We play the Bulls twice but I got to think a team starting Dunn, Lavine, Rolo and Lauri can win both games. Pretty sure Nits is going to get in a few games before the season ends, they'll probably send him up to Westchester for a tuneup game before he makes an appearance, he can contribute to the tank when he plays he's got to be rusty. When we had 14 left, I said 3-11 until seasons end but after a night like this you think how do they ever win a game.

Cavs won tonight. Bulls and Suns playing each other. We can still reach 68 losses. Suns can reach 65, pending tonight?s result. Cavs can reach 64. Bulls can reach 63, pending tonight?s result.

With 11 games to play, we can go 2 - 9 and still be guaranteed the worst record, even if the Suns lose all their remaining games. If Suns win tonight, that will go to as good as 3 - 8 and still worst record guaranteed.

Almost there to the guaranteed top 5 pick. What happens after that is all luck.

jimkcchief88 said:

Yeah I?m kinda starting to agree; Suns playing better while our guys, not so much. We can?t keep hiring and firing coaches, FIZ needs to be on a short leash. Hard to see the playing Knicks playing this bad under Mark Jackson.

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I'd give Fiz another year like DFish and Horn. If he can manage to develop Knox like the Raps did Siakim or Nits if he's still around like they did with VanVleet he may keep his job. He also better get into the playoffs if Perry manages to sign Durant and Kyrie. The kids like him because he gives them a lot of rope but they lack the discipline that a tougher coach might bring to the team. We need a guy like JVG, I remember that game when he coached the Rox and Steve Novak bought all these tickets for family and friends to see him play in his first game back in Milwaukee and JVG didn't let him get off the bench to play in his home town that night. We need a coach like that, you want to play, hustle, play D and impact the game not a guy that wants to be the players best pal.

The victory gave the Raptors a remarkable home record of 31-0 against the Atlantic Division since 2015-16...

During last week?s 0-3 road trip, Fizdale called his post-trade-deadline roster ?a glorified G-League team?? and that would insult the NBA?s minor league system.

jimkcchief88 said:

Yeah Knicks pulling a no-show tonight after yesterday?s come from behind win.

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