The Raptors hammered the New York Knicks 128-92 on Monday night, but coach Nick Nurse wasn’t so happy after the game, as Kyle Lowry once again injured his ankle. Jeremy Lin had his best game since he joined the Raptors, scoring 20 points – 13 of which were scored in the last quarter. The Knicks, with only 14 wins this seasons, gave up in the second quarter, while Toronto showed good performance, with eight players scoring in double figures.
Lowry missed the team’s last two games due to a left ankle injury, while on Monday night at Scotiabank Arena he injured his right ankle after Mitchel Robinson knocked him over in the third quarter.
It was clear from the look on his face that something is wrong, and he was soon helped off the court.
Pascal Siakam scored 19 points, Lowry had 15 and 8 assists, OG Anunoby 14, Fred Van Vleed contributed with 12, Marc Gasol had a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds, while Norman Powel ended the game with 10 points on his count for Toronto 50th win of the regular season.
Kawhi Leonard missed the game against the Knicks due to load management, which has become usual when a team plays two games in as many days.
Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard (2) controls a ball as San Antonio Spurs guard DeMar DeRozan (10) defends during the first quarter at Scotiabank Arena – Nick Turchiaro, USA TODAY Sports via Reuters
Allonzo Trier scored 22 points, but he could do little to prevent his team from losing. That’s the Nicks’ 57th defeat this season, which is the league-worst record.
A New Game, a New Starting Lineup
Nurse has once again used a different starting five, which is his 20th starting lineup this season. But the new starting lineup performed like a well-oiled machine from the moment the game started. In the end, the Raptors scored 73 points in the first half, which is their season high, with a fantastic 82.4% in the opening quarter.
The third quarter saw Toronto increase their lead to plus 35, while that quarter ended with the Raptors leading 101-69. During the fourth quarter, the crowd of 19,800 at Scotiabank Arena saw the Raptors increase their advantage to 38 points, showing excellent performance throughout the game.
The Knicks were once in the lead, in the first couple of minutes of the game, but until the end of the quarter, the Raptors were already nine points in front. New York had a disappointing 29% shooting in the second quarter, which they lost 35-25 for a 73-54 Raptors’ lead at the half time.
The Raptors travel to Oklahoma City, where they’ll face the Thunder on Wednesday, while the two teams will play again on Friday, this time in Toronto.