The Toronto Raptors, as is their wont, allowed the New York Knicks to hang around. Even though the Raps piled up 69 first-half points, despite another sluggish start, the Knicks managed 54.
Toronto’s offense struggled early in part because DeMar DeRozan couldn’t find the range. However, he’s got a shooter’s mentality, and traded in missed jumpers for taking the ball to the tin. It worked.
Jonas Valanciunas was doing very well at ensuring the Knicks were one and done. He pulled down 11 rebounds before break, and popped in some buckets to take the pressure off the backcourt.