Julius Randle was beneath the basket with the ball in his palms. However as a substitute of slicing the Knicks’ four-point deficit to 2 with what appeared like a gimme layup and 45 seconds remaining, the ball went skidding previous the rim.
“It simply slipped,” Randle mentioned.
So did the Knicks’ possibilities of extending their NBA-leading win streak to 9.
It was symbolic of the evening for Randle and his teammates. They had been in place, however they couldn’t end off the beforehand skidding Raptors. Toronto snapped a six-game dropping streak behind a superb, career-best 52-point efficiency from Pascal Siakam and a largely mistake-free evening, handing the Knicks their first loss because the first Saturday of December, 113-106, at a upset Backyard Wednesday evening.
The Knicks (18-14), most notably standout level guard Jalen Brunson, weren't sharp. They had been outworked a lot of the night, overwhelmed soundly on the offensive glass, 16-9. That they had a minus-12 turnover differential and had been outscored 12-4 over the ultimate 3:21 after briefly taking the lead.
“Simply given the way in which I performed, I really feel horrible,” mentioned the ever-accountable Brunson, who dedicated 5 of the Knicks’ 17 turnovers and managed simply seven factors on 3-of-14 capturing. “It’s unacceptable on my half.”
Randle and RJ Barrett every scored 30 for the Knicks, who had been with out Quentin Grimes (sprained proper ankle). Immanuel Quickley stuffed in effectively for him, scoring 20 factors and hitting six 3-pointers. Down nearly the whole approach, and by as many as 11 within the fourth quarter, the Knicks briefly went forward on a Barrett slam with 3:21 to go.
That they had an opportunity to increase the lead, however Quickley traveled and the Raptors (14-18) bought three offensive rebounds on the opposite finish, main to 2 of Siakam’s 16 made free throws in 18 makes an attempt. Fred VanVleet (28 factors) then hit a 3-pointer in transition, extending the result in 4 with 1:35 left.
“They got here out determined tonight for certain,” Barrett mentioned.
Referring particularly to the Raptors’ potential to pressure turnovers and crash the offensive glass, Randle mentioned: “I put it on us. We knew it coming in and we simply didn’t execute, in order that’s on us. That’s on the gamers, on the crew.”
In the course of the win streak, the Knicks relied closely on their improved protection, holding 5 completely different opponents below 100 factors. Siakam had greater than half of that on his personal, having his approach with each defender the Knicks threw at him, from Randle to facilities Mitchell Robinson and Jericho Sims. He bought scorching early, scoring 26 factors by halftime, and by no means actually cooled off.
“He’s a heck of a participant,” coach Tom Thibodeau mentioned. “I believed we had been too unfold out within the first half. The man could make photographs, however the free throws, I wanna check out that, see what we are able to do higher there.”
There was disappointment that the successful streak got here to an in depth, however optimism over what the Knicks achieved, a perception that these eight straight wins confirmed the crew’s potential. Even on an evening when a lot went incorrect, from Grimes’ absence to the turnovers and the problems on the defensive glass, the Knicks had been proper there in the long run. Now, they need to begin a brand new streak.
“We discovered what we’re able to,” Brunson mentioned. “We simply need to hold going.”
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