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Raptors hold off the Knicks |
National Post Staff Toronto Raptors head coach Dwane Casey has told his new team among all the things they will learn under his tutelage the most important is to know how to deal with run, because the opponent will, at some point in a game, start burying shots, and stopping that momentum could determine everything. The Raptors could not not stop the run Sunday, when Orlando went on a 16-0 run in the final period to erase a double-digit deficit and bury Toronto. And it almost got the best of them Monday in New York, when the Knicks found their groove in the third quarter and cut a 17-point lead down to three. But the Raptors turned some strong defensive rebounds and some key points off the bench into an 88-85 win. The Knicks, powered by Carmelo Anthony’s game-high 35 points, trimmed the Raptors’ lead to just a single point inside the game’s final seconds, but two key three throws from Andrea Bargnani, who had 21 points, sealed Toronto’s second win of the season. Although Toronto shot nearly 53% from the floor in the first quarter, the Knicks took a 23-22 lead thanks to five three-pointers — three from Anthony. Bargnani gave the Raptors early energy, however, making his first four shots. The Knicks appeared happy to continue to launch the ball from beyond the arc in the second period, but went scoreless for more than four minutes as the Raptors went on an 8-0 run. With Bargnani and Calderon on the bench, Anthony Carter fired quick, crisp passes to DeMar DeRozan and Amir Johnson as the Knicks were negligent to screen Toronto around the rim. Not even Anthony, who had 18 points before halftime, could stir New York’s offence. The Knicks were passive all over the floor and the team’s field-goal shooting dipped as low as 27.8% in the second quarter, while Calerdon spread the ball around and helped Toronto build a 17-point lead. Defensively,the Raptors tried to devour every shot that bounced off the rim and had 22 defensive rebounds compared to three offensive boards for the Knicks, who found it hard igniting their transition offence even after they abandoned a perimeter game and started driving to the basket. New York was far more aggressive after the interval, double-teaming high up the court and forcing Toronto to take quick, off-balance shots. As the Raptors began to struggle, Anthony and Tony Douglas started clawing the score line back. Douglas hit three three-pointers as New York outscored Toronto 24-16 in the third, but timely three-point plays off the bench from Rasual Butler, James Johnson and Leandro Barbosa helped maintain Toronto’s advantage, setting up an 8-2 for the Raptors to close out the third quarter. Bulter, who finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds, was key in the final frame, blocking out Anthony and hitting timely threes. Barbosa offered 10 points off the bench, while DeRozan started slow once again but also finished with 21 points. National Post Comment Below!. Posted in raptors, Uncategorized | Comments Off
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Raptors hang on to drop Knicks |
The Knicks’ poor first-half effort gave Toronto another big lead. Then their poor final-minute execution allowed the Raptors to keep this one. Andrea Bargnani and DeMar DeRozan each scored 21 points, and the Raptors held onto a big cushion this time, beating New York 90-85 on Monday night. Jose Calderon added nine points and 12 assists for the Raptors, who blew a 16-point lead Sunday in Orlando before losing 102-96. They opened a 17-point advantage at halftime in this one thanks to the Knicks’ inept second quarter then held on to snap a three-game losing streak. “We didn’t let their run get to us,” DeRozan said. “The last couple of games you know teams made runs on us and we let it get to us and we kind of broke down on the defensive end. So tonight we didn’t let that happen.” Carmelo Anthony had 35 points and 11 rebounds as the Knicks played their second straight game without Amare Stoudemire, who has a sprained left ankle. But they couldn’t duplicate their impressive play from their victory without him on Saturday in Sacramento, shooting just 36 per cent from the field and misfiring on 25 of their 35 three-point attempts. Toney Douglas had 22 points for the Knicks, 12 during a third quarter that finally woke them up after a dreadful second period in which they made three baskets. But he appeared to forget the play when the Knicks inbounded down three in the final seconds, forcing Anthony to launch a long-range attempt that missed with 13 seconds left. Coach Mike D’Antoni was all the way on the court hollering for Douglas to move before the ball was thrown in, and he said after the game the Knicks forgot the play that was to be run. “I thought the whole first half our energy was down. We didn’t play real hard. And then I think we got a little snake bitten in the sense of when you’re not playing hard, things aren’t falling, it started being contagious and everybody started missing shots, and we were playing on our heels,” D’Antoni said. “Halftime we talked about it and we came out and played aggressive and I thought second half was really good, but we needed obviously 48 minutes and didn’t get it.” Missing a chanceThe Raptors missed a chance to extend a three-point lead in the final 90 seconds when Amir Johnson blew a dunk, and Anthony followed with a drive into the lane to cut it to 84-83 with 1:04 to go. Bargnani answered with a jumper, and after Tyson Chandler’s dunk, Bargnani sank a pair of free throws to keep it at a three-point edge with 17 seconds left. Anthony missed the three-point attempt and Anthony Carter, who finished last season with the Knicks, hit two free throws to make it 90-85 with 10.7 seconds remaining. Rasual Butler had 13 points and 10 rebounds for Toronto. “A little bit different than last night,” Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. “They made the run. We knew they were going to make a run. Our guys bounced back, hung in there, took the blow and absorbed it.” Stoudemire could be back Wednesday against the Bobcats, and Iman Shumpert could return this week, ahead of the two to four week absence that was expected when he sprained a right knee ligament in the Christmas opener. The Knicks showed how badly they could have used his help in the first half. New York led 23-22 after one, but then shot 3 of 19 (16 per cent) in the second quarter. They heard some boos at Madison Square Garden, where the loudest cheers came when receiver Victor Cruz of the playoff-bound Giants was shown in his courtside seat. The Knicks didn’t monopolize the ugliness — Toronto’s Jamaal Magloire threw up an airball on a free throw. But Toronto shot 56 per cent in the second quarter and ran off seven straight during one Knicks drought to open a 17-point lead before taking a 51-34 advantage into halftime. “Second half we played with a lot more confidence,” Anthony said. “First half, I really don’t know what was wrong with us. No excuses, but I think, I know, in the second half we did a better job defensively. Offensively guys made shots.” DeRozan hit a three-pointer to open Toronto’s second-half scoring, but the Knicks surged back behind Douglas, who had a four-point play among his 12 points in the period as New York got within three before Toronto took a 67-58 lead into the final period. Rookie Josh Harrellson, who had 14 points and 12 rebounds as Stoudemire’s replacement Saturday, was limited to two points and five boards. Chandler finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds. There is the quick update of the day. |
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New York Knicks Lose at Home to Toronto Raptors: A… |
The lesson to learn from Monday night’s game (Jan. 2) is that if you live by the three-pointer, you also die by the three-pointer. The New York Knicks attempted 35 three-pointers against the Toronto Raptors, making just 10 of them to finish 28.6 percent from beyond the arc. Overall, the team went just 28-for-78 from the field (35.9 percent) in a game that simply got away from them at the end. This 90-85 loss to the Raptors is extremely frustrating; especially with how good the Knicks looked against the Sacramento Kings back on Saturday (Dec. 31). The team had to play without All-Star power forward Amare Stoudemire again, and at first it didn’t seem like it would hurt the team. The Knicks took a nice 23-22 lead at the end of the first quarter and it looked like a great game was brewing. The second quarter got out of control though, as Toronto out-scored the Knicks 29-11 in those 12 minutes alone. Heading into halftime with a 17-point deficit to a team that won 22 games last year is not what Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni wanted to see, and at least the team put in more effort in the second half. The Knicks fought back to within one point with just 35 second left but couldn’t stop the Raptors when it mattered most. In the early Atlantic division standings, New York now falls behind Toronto by means of the head-to-head tie-breaker. This is definitely not where the team wanted to sit after five games in a shortened season. Carmelo Anthony finished the game 13-for-31 from the field, often taking shots he wasn’t comfortable with just to get the offense going. Far too many times there were other players passing up shot opportunities and it seemed like Bill Walker was afraid to even take shots on Monday night (Jan. 2). I don’t blame Anthony at all for attempting 31 shots, but I would have liked him to make a couple more. He did finish with 35 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists though, so fantasy basketball owners that have him had to come away happy from this game. Next up for the 2-3 Knicks are the Charlotte Bobcats, who come to town on Wednesday (Jan. 4) for a 7:30 p.m. ET game. More From YCN : Knicks Beat Kings Without Stoudemire Stoudemire Injures Ankle No_Garnett_Suspension New_York_Wins_Opener_Against_Boston Baron_Davis_Comes_To_Knicks Sources: Full Knicks Schedule New York Knicks Website *Ryan Christopher DeVault is a fan of the New York Knicks that has followed the team since the days John Starks, Charles Oakley, and Anthony Mason instilled their defensive will on the rest of the league. Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content. What are your opinions. |
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Anderson helps Magic rally past Raptors |
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) – The Orlando Magic struggled during much of their game against the Toronto Raptors on Sunday night, playing sloppily on offense and failing to contain Andrea Bargnani at the rim. But a 4-minute stretch in the fourth quarter made everything all better. The Magic went on a late 16-0 run, led by the shooting of Ryan Anderson — who finished with 24 points — to erase a double-digit deficit and defeat the Raptors 102-96. Orlando shot 4 for 5 from 3-point range during the burst, with Anderson making two of them, as the Magic took a 94-89 lead with 3:05 left after trailing by as many as 16 points. “We sort of could’ve just given up, but we kept pushing through it,” Anderson said. “This was huge for us.” Dwight Howard had 19 points and 15 rebounds for the Magic, who have won four straight since a season-opening loss to Oklahoma City. J.J. Redick added 21 points and Hedo Turkoglu had 15 points and seven assists. “I thought we played a great fourth quarter,” Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. “Our intensity level went way up.” Bargnani paced the Raptors with 28 points, and Jose Calderon had 18 points and 13 assists. It was the second consecutive late collapse by the Raptors, who also gave up a second-half lead to Dallas on Friday. “I don’t really have an explanation as to why this game got away,” Calderon said. “It’s tough. It’s kind of like the same thing that happened with Dallas. They’re two veteran teams. They know how to play in those moments. We’ve got to learn from that.” Bargnani, who scored only three of his 28 points in the fourth period, was disappointed with his team’s showing. “We really made the game for three quarters; we played good offense and great defense,” he said. “But we didn’t play that way in the fourth quarter. We played really bad.” The Magic shot 44.4 percent from 3-point range and were 5 for 7 from long range in the fourth quarter. After the Raptors built another double-digit lead in the second half and looked to be on their way to a road upset, the Magic shots began falling while the Raptors’ offense stalled. Turkoglu made a layup to cut the Raptors’ lead to 89-80, then Anderson and Redick made 3-pointers. Howard converted a layup off a pass from Jameer Nelson, followed by 3-pointers from Anderson and Turkoglu to force Toronto into a timeout down 94-89. The Raptors missed all five of their shots and committed three turnovers during the run. They didn’t score between the 7:48 and 2:47 marks of the fourth quarter. “It was the defensive end of the floor,” Van Gundy said. “You’re not going to come close to trading baskets and get back in the game, so you obviously have to make plays at both ends. You have no margin for error. But your defense has got to be great, and ours was going down the stretch. To be down 11 going into the fourth and get that done, we played a great game in the fourth quarter.” The Raptors took a double-digit lead late in the first quarter behind some strong shooting from Calderon and Bargnani. The Magic responded, going up 40-39 after a 12-2 run midway through the second quarter that included eight points from Anderson. Bargnani led all scorers with 19 points after two quarters of play.
NOTES: Nelson returned for the Magic after missing one game with a neck spasm. He finished with nine points. … Toronto guard Jerryd Bayless didn’t play because of a sprained ankle he sustained Friday against Dallas. There’s no definite timetable for his return. … Calderon surpassed the 3,000-assist mark. … Howard, who had 24 rebounds in each of the Magic’s past two games, was attempting to become the first player with 24-plus rebounds in three consecutive games since Dennis Rodman in November 1993. … Anderson, who is 21-for-45 (46.6 percent) from deep this season, leads the NBA in 3-pointers made and attempted.
Feel free to leave your comments below. |
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Raptors fall to Magic despite Bargnani outburst |
Date: Monday Jan. 2, 2012 7:56 AM ET ORLANDO, Fla. The Orlando Magic struggled during much of their game against the Toronto Raptors on Sunday night, playing sloppily on offence and failing to contain Andrea Bargnani at the rim. But a four-minute stretch in the fourth quarter made everything all better. The Magic went on a late 16-0 run, led by the shooting of Ryan Anderson — who finished with 24 points — to erase a double-digit deficit and defeat the Raptors 102-96. Orlando shot 4 for 5 from three-point range during the burst, with Anderson making two of them, as the Magic took a 94-89 lead with 3:05 left after trailing by as many as 16 points. “We sort of could’ve just given up, but we kept pushing through it,” Anderson said. “This was huge for us.” Dwight Howard had 19 points and 15 rebounds for the Magic, who have won four straight since a season-opening loss to Oklahoma City. J.J. Redick added 21 points and Hedo Turkoglu had 15 points and seven assists. “I thought we played a great fourth quarter,” Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. “Our intensity level went way up.” Bargnani paced the Raptors with 28 points, and Jose Calderon had 18 points and 13 assists. It was the second consecutive late collapse by the Raptors, who also gave up a second-half lead to Dallas on Friday. “I don’t really have an explanation as to why this game got away,” Calderon said. “It’s tough. It’s kind of like the same thing that happened with Dallas. They’re two veteran teams. They know how to play in those moments. We’ve got to learn from that.” Bargnani, who scored only three of his 28 points in the fourth period, was disappointed with his team’s showing. “We really made the game for three quarters; we played good offence and great defence,” he said. “But we didn’t play that way in the fourth quarter. We played really bad.” The Magic shot 44.4 per cent from three-point range and were 5 for 7 from long range in the fourth quarter. After the Raptors built another double-digit lead in the second half and looked to be on their way to a road upset, the Magic shots began falling while the Raptors’ offence stalled. Turkoglu made a layup to cut the Raptors’ lead to 89-80, then Anderson and Redick made three-pointers. Howard converted a layup off a pass from Jameer Nelson, followed by three-pointers from Anderson and Turkoglu to force Toronto into a timeout down 94-89. The Raptors missed all five of their shots and committed three turnovers during the run. They didn’t score between the 7:48 and 2:47 marks of the fourth quarter. “It was the defensive end of the floor,” Van Gundy said. “You’re not going to come close to trading baskets and get back in the game, so you obviously have to make plays at both ends. You have no margin for error. But your defence has got to be great, and ours was going down the stretch. To be down 11 going into the fourth and get that done, we played a great game in the fourth quarter.” The Raptors took a double-digit lead late in the first quarter behind some strong shooting from Calderon and Bargnani. The Magic responded, going up 40-39 after a 12-2 run midway through the second quarter that included eight points from Anderson. Bargnani led all scorers with 19 points after two quarters of play. NOTES: Nelson returned for the Magic after missing one game with a neck spasm. He finished with nine points. … Toronto guard Jerryd Bayless didn’t play because of a sprained ankle he sustained Friday against Dallas. There’s no definite timetable for his return. … Calderon surpassed the 3,000-assist mark. … Howard, who had 24 rebounds in each of the Magic’s past two games, was attempting to become the first player with 24-plus rebounds in three consecutive games since Dennis Rodman in November 1993. … Anderson, who is 21-for-45 (46.6 per cent) from deep this season, leads the NBA in three-pointers made and attempted.
That’s all the news for today. |
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