RAPTORS vs Knicks: Game Review, plus look ahead
Last night’s game was a must-win situation for Toronto [5th; 28 L's], looking ahead to the 4-game west coast road trip which begins next week:
Game 62, at LAL [46-17, L?]
Game 63, at SAC [21-41, L?]
Game 64, at GSW [17-44, W?]
Game 65, at POR [37-27, L?]
and in the rear-view mirror, as Milwaukee [6th; 29 L's], Chicago [7th; 30 L's], Miami [8th; 31 L's] and Charlotte [9th; 31 L's] each continue their pursuit of a playoff position [i.e. #5-8] in the Eastern Conference.
New York Knicks 96
TORONTO RAPTORS 102
Complete Game Info
Operating without the services of Chris Bosh for the 7th consecutive game, the Raptors were able to post a solid victory, led by the stellar offensive performance of Sonny Weems and Jose Calderon:
|
PLAYER |
pos |
min |
fgm-a |
3pm-a |
ftm-a |
+/- |
REB |
REB |
REB |
ast |
pf |
st |
to |
bs |
ba |
pts |
KPER |
|
F |
25:13 |
3-6 |
2-3 |
4-6 |
-10 |
1 |
8 |
9 |
4 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
12 |
+9 |
|
|
Johnson |
F |
30:35 |
7-13 |
0-0 |
0-0 |
+12 |
5 |
3 |
8 |
0 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
14 |
+14 |
|
C |
37:05 |
4-15 |
1-3 |
0-2 |
+9 |
1 |
3 |
4 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
9 |
+1 |
|
|
DeRozan |
G |
24:44 |
5-8 |
0-0 |
0-0 |
+2 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
4 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
10 |
+8 |
|
G |
28:19 |
7-11 |
0-1 |
0-0 |
-5 |
1 |
3 |
4 |
2 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
0 |
1 |
14 |
+13 |
|
|
|
27:52 |
8-13 |
0-1 |
0-0 |
+14 |
0 |
3 |
3 |
6 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
16 |
+18 |
|
|
|
32:37 |
3-8 |
1-4 |
0-0 |
+6 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
7 |
+4 |
|
|
|
28:28 |
9-16 |
0-0 |
2-2 |
+4 |
2 |
7 |
9 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
20 |
+26 |
|
|
|
05:05 |
0-1 |
0-0 |
0-1 |
-2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
-2 |
|
|
|
00:02 |
0-0 |
0-0 |
0-0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
who were simply too quick, strong, and athletic for their counterparts on the Knicks to contain off the dribble.
If the Raptors can secure another W tomorrow afternoon, at home against the still struggling 76ers, it would ensure that Toronto [32-28] will be able to return to the cozy confines of the ACC [22-9] for Games 66 and 67 on their schedule, against Atlanta [40-21; Away/15-14] and Oklahoma [37-24; Away/17-13], respectively, no worse than 1 game above the .500 mark [i.e. if they somehow manage to go O-for on their road trip].
With the favourable upcoming schedules held by Charlotte and Miami, and with Milwaukee playing much improved basketball of late … following their acquisitions of John Salmons/G-F and Jerry Stackhouse/G-F … it looks like the battle for the 8th seed in the East might come down to the final 3 games of the regular season for, either, Toronto or Chicago:
TORONTO
Game 80, vs Chicago [W?]
Game 81, at Detroit [L?]
Game 82, vs New York [W?]
CHICAGO
Game 80, at Toronto [L?]
Game 81, vs Boston [L?]
Game 82, at Charlotte [L?]
where the Raptors should have a decided edge.
When the Knicks are shooting well from beyond the arc, they can be a difficult opponent to play against.
However, when they shoot like they did yesterday [3-16/.188], they become easy pickings for a high-scoring, offensively oriented, team like the Raptors.
Tags: Charlotte Bobcats, Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks, Toronto Raptors
March 6th, 2010 at 8:54 pm
the fact that antoine wright continues to consistently see more minutes than either DD or Weems amazes me…
someone needs to show JT a box score or game film once in a while.
if only we had pulled out the win against CLE.
as always, nice analysis (not just this post; the last few)!
March 7th, 2010 at 9:02 am
[...] Khandors Sports Blog If the Raptors can secure another W tomorrow afternoon, at home against the still struggling 76ers, it would ensure that Toronto [32-28] will be able to return to the cozy confines of the ACC [22-9] for Games 66 and 67 on their schedule, against Atlanta [40-21; Away/15-14] and Oklahoma [37-24; Away/17-13], respectively, no worse than 1 game above the .500 mark [i.e. if they somehow manage to go O-for on their road trip]. [...]
March 7th, 2010 at 10:25 am
[...] Khandors Sports Blog If the Raptors can secure another W tomorrow afternoon, at home against the still struggling 76ers, it would ensure that Toronto [32-28] will be able to return to the cozy confines of the ACC [22-9] for Games 66 and 67 on their schedule, against Atlanta [40-21; Away/15-14] and Oklahoma [37-24; Away/17-13], respectively, no worse than 1 game above the .500 mark [i.e. if they somehow manage to go O-for on their road trip]. [...]
March 8th, 2010 at 2:46 pm
Scott G.,
1. It’s mind-boggling that A-Wright [FG's/2-10?] was given copious amounts of PT, again, in yesterday’s crucial loss to Philadelphia.
2. Thanks for the kind words.