 and Golden State (Oct. 30, 2013 to April 12, 2017) have won 32 straight home games against division foes.New York was the opponent the last time Toronto lost at home to an Atlantic team, beating the Raptors 111-109 on Nov. 10, 2015.Julius Randle scored 19 points and Canadian rookie RJ Barrett had 16 as the Knicks matched a season worst by losing their fourth straight.Siakam matched his career high by making five 3-pointers and shot 12 for 22 overall. He reached 30 or more points for the seventh time this season after having done so five times previously in his career, all last season.Malcolm Miller scored 13 points and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson had 12 as the Raptors won their fifth straight, their longest streak of the season.Toronto has won seven in a row against the Knicks, and 15 of the past 16 meetings.The 28-point margin was New York’s worst of the season. The Knicks lost 118-95 to Boston on Oct. 26.Barrett returned after missing Sunday’s loss to Brooklyn because of illness. The Toronto-born Barrett received a warm ovation when he was introduced with the rest of New York’s starting lineup.Barrett shot 5 for 17, going 2 for 8 from 3-point range, in 31 minutes.Toronto led 10-3 after three minutes but Randle scored 11 points as the Knicks rallied to lead 29-21 after one.Wayne Ellington made three free throws to begin the second, giving the Knicks a 32-21 lead, but New York didn’t score again until a basket by Marcus Morris with 7:15 left in the half. Davis and Siakam each made 3-pointers and Siakam added a free throw on Randle’s technical foul to cap a 22-2 Toronto run. Siakam scored 15 points in the second and the Raptors led 58-46 at halftime.Siakam scored 11 points in the third and Toronto took an 89-69 lead to the fourth.TIP-INSKnicks: New York is 1-8 on the road. … G Frank Ntilikina started despite a left quadriceps contusion and a sore groin. … Seven of New York’s 14 losses have been by 10 or more points.Raptors: Toronto didn’t shoot any free throws in the first quarter. …. Like the Raptors, Boston (7-0), Miami (7-0) and Philadelphia (8-0) have yet to lose at home. … Toronto won seven straight home games to begin the 2018-19 season. … The Raptors set a season high with 21 made 3-pointersKIND OF A BIG DEALBefore his first game in Canada, Barrett spoke to a large crowd of media after the morning shootaround.“I feel like the president or something,” said Barrett, who estimated some 300 friends and family were attending the game.UP NEXTKnicks: Host Philadelphia on Friday night.Raptors: Visit Orlando on Friday night.---More NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/-Sports)
Nov 26, 2019It will be a game of contrasts Wednesday night when the struggling New York Knicks visit the Toronto Raptors, who have been playing like the NBA champions they are.The Knicks' 103-101 loss to Brooklyn on Sunday was their third in a row. At 4-13 there are already questions about their ability to make the playoffs."You've got to look at the circumstances we're in," Knicks center Taj Gibson told reporters. "We're in the East. Nobody's running away. Maybe the top four teams. We're still optimistic. If we get three wins in a row, you're right back in the hunt." The Raptors are one of those top four teams in the Eastern Conference referred to by Gibson. They are 7-0 at home this season after holding Joel Embiid to no points in a 101-96 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday.The Raptors forced eight missed shots down the stretch as they went on a 10-0 run in the final four minutes against the 76ers."I thought we really started getting into them and stopped some of that DHO (dribble handoff) action," Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. "We were just beating them to the spot, and I think we ended up with eight consecutive stops to end the game. That's pretty good, especially in a close game like that." The Raptors got 25 points from Pascal Siakam and 24 from Fred VanVleet while Marc Gasol did good work on the double-teaming of Embiid, who was 0-for-11 from the field."Marc is a big body, he's smart, he has being doing it for a while," Siakam said. "He kind of understands how to guard, and positioning. Obviously, we're helping but I think initially, his presence is a problem for a lot of people. When we are connected as a team on defense, we can do a lot of things out there." Gasol had three points, six rebounds and nine assists Monday, He has been solid in the absence of fellow center Serge Ibaka, who has missed eight games with a sprained ankle and did not practice Tuesday. He is listed as doubtful for Wednesday.Raptors guard Kyle Lowry also has missed eight games with a fractured thumb and is expected to miss the rest of November. Rookie guard Matt Thomas added to the list of injuries Monday with a fractured finger suffered Saturday in the win over the Atlanta Hawks.The game will be a homecoming for Knicks 19-year-old rookie guard RJ Barrett, a lottery pick in the draft. He missed the Nets game Sunday because of illness. In 16 games, Barrett has averaged 15.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists while shooting 41.3 percent (34.7 percent on 3s).Barrett, who was listed as questionable for Wednesday, is one ray of hope for the Knicks, who are trying to stay optimistic about their season."It's tough," Gibson said. "It's a bitter taste for me. I've been in the playoffs my whole career. One thing is to continue to work. Once you let down, teams will not feel sorry for you. Everyone in this locker room is always optimistic, smiling and always eager to do better." Knicks guard Frank Ntilikina is listed as questionable for Wednesday with a bruised left quadriceps and sore groin. Knicks forward Kevin Knox II is listed as doubtful with a bruised left quadriceps.--Field Level Media
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