The Knicks and Raptors played the second game of a home and home tonight in Toronto. The Raptors won last night and looked to win again against an injured Knicks team.
Tonight each team battled for the lead, but eventually the Raptors would get a solid lead they would never relinquish. At one point the Raptors found themselves up 21 points as they dominated this game. But the Knicks would fight back as they cut the lead down to five points, but the Raptors would answer that and would open the lead back up. The Knicks would lose 103-90 sending them to another defeat.
The Raptors benefited from an excellent performance by Kyle Lowry. He continued his stellar play tonight as he scored 32 points. He really was able to break the Knicks defense down and that resulted in open shots for him and open shots for his teammates. Lowry would also rack up 11 assists and eight rebounds. With his contract running out, Lowry really has played himself into a nice contract if he can continue to play well. Tonight he did and really made it tough on the Knicks.
Terrence Ross also played well for the Raptors tonight as he exploded for 23 points. His shot was on tonight and that would result in seven three-pointers. He has played well since the Rudy Gay trade to Sacramento and has come on nicely for the Raptors. He also made some athletic plays making for some athletic plays.
The Knicks really had a nice game from Amare Stoudemire. He would score 23 points in 29 minutes off the bench. This was one of his better games scoring wise as he made score after score. He used his post game to dominate the Raptors defense making him a go to player in the post. With this game being a back to back it was nice to see Stoudemire have a solid outing.
Overall this game was just another poor effort by the Knicks. The defense really has been non-existent this season and tonight that was their downfall. The Raptors would break the defense down just about every time down the floor and that resulted in easy baskets. The Knicks allowed so many open looks which resulted in points. They have done nothing to correct defensive mistakes and it really is costing them games. But credit the Raptors because they came out ready to play and really embraced the team game as they racked up 23 assists.
The Knicks now have a tough road ahead with games against the Spurs, Rockets, and Mavericks. All three of those games are almost guaranteed losses, but anything can happen.
The Raptors have played well and tonight they put it to the Knicks in every way. They will next play the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday night looking to continue their nice play.
Photo Credit: Ron Turenne/NBAE via Getty Images
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