NEW YORK—There was a moment in the early going of the Raptors’ 108-100 loss to the Knicks on Wednesday night when the Madison Square Garden jumbotron flashed a sponsored in-game feature. The night’s Celebrity Row guest of note, it was announced, was Sting, the 66-year-old rock star.
As one of Sting’s biggest hits blared from the speakers, Spike Lee, the film maker and Gotham courtside regular, led the standing ovation for the pop-music master. And before halftime — by which point the Raptors had opened up an 11-point lead and looked well on their way to their ninth straight win over the Knicks — there wasn’t much else to celebrate for the home crowd.