Coming off a rather discouraging loss the other night against the Memphis Grizzlies, the Toronto Raptors kept their playoff hopes alive, beating the New York Knicks, 100-98. This game came down to the final minutes, but it was the Raptors who were able to come on top, as they defeated the Knicks for the second time in nine days.
Offense: B+
Against a New York Knicks team who can score at will, your offense has to be substantially good in order to hang with one of the East’s best. For the Raptors’, their stars performed, leading them to victory. It was the trio of Kyle Lowry, Rudy Gay, and DeMar DeRozan who carried most of the load, combining for 66 of Toronto’s 100 points.
Defense: C+
The Raptors weren’t great on the defensive-end tonight, but were good enough to get the job done. They failed to challenge New York’s shooters throughout the course of the game, but really tightened-up in crunch time. Although Dwane Casey’s smaller lineup did cause some mismatches on defense, it managed to pay dividends tonight.
Rebounds: C-
The Raptors have not been good on the glass as of late, and weren’t any better tonight against the Knicks, as they were out-rebounded 42-31. Having a presence inside on the opposite team such as Tyson Chandler can be quite a handful, and he proved that yet again, battling on every possession.
Game Ball: Rudy Gay
After having his worst performance in a Raptors’ uniform the other night against Memphis, Rudy Gay responded with a huge game, earning our game ball tonight. He finished with a season-high 32 points (11-23 from the field), as he helped lead the Raptors to yet another crucial victory. He had a quiet first-half scoring just 6 points, but answered the call mightily in the second-half, scoring 26 points.
