Knicks vs. Raptors Preview: How, Who to Watch in Barrett, Quickley's Return
It's homecoming weekend at Madison Square Garden.
The New York Knicks will welcome back RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley back to the fold on Saturday night when their new employers, the Toronto Raptors, come to visit for an Atlantic Division showdown. It'll be the first tilt between New York and Toronto since the teams put legal differences aside to agree on a trade that sent Barrett, Quickley, and a second round pick up north for OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa, and Malachi Flynn.
Reunions aside, the Knicks are looking to push their latest winning streak to three after sweeping a back-to-back from Houston and Washington, the latter being a 113-109 triumph on Thursday. Jalen Brunson put up 41 points in the win, which allowed the Knicks to maintain a perfect record against teams with active losing records this season. Since the trade, the Knicks are 8-2 in ensuing the 10 games and currently sit in fifth place in the Eastern Conference.
Toronto is 4-6 since the trade but has enjoyed the contributions of Barrett and Quickley, each of whom figure to play a large role in their evolving future, one that continues to sell off veteran assets with the trade of Pascal Siakam to Indiana this week. The Raptors dropped a 116-110 decision to Chicago on Thursday, part of a stretch where they've dropped five of their last six. Scottie Barnes led the way with 31 points in defeat, pairing it with trios of blocks and steals.
This will mark the third of four meetings between the Knicks and Raptors with the finale scheduled for March 27 in Ontario. New York took each of the first two meetings with Barrett and Quickley in tow and is search for its first sweep of the yearly set with the Raptors since the 2010-11 season.
What: Toronto Raptors (16-26) @ New York Knicks (25-17)
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
When/Watch: Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET, MSG
Who's Favored: NYK -7.5
USA TODAY SPORTS
Keep An Eye On: OG Anunoby
Anunoby will be the Knick to watch for obvious reasons considering he's also facing his former employers for the first time since a landmark trade. Anunoby is also taking on extended opportunities with Josh Hart listed as day-to-day, leaving the Knicks' bench depth relatively bereft to the point where they actually gave Evan Fournier a few minutes during Thursday's win over Washington. With two players looking to made a statement to Knicks' management, Anunoby's defensive skills will be brought to the forefront in his own reunion.
Raptor to Watch: Immanuel Quickley
Barrett's hyped nature makes his return the headliner of Saturday's showdown but Quickley's antics and impact shouldn't be forgotten. A relative afterthought upon his drafting in 2020 thanks to Obi Toppin's arrival, Quickley went on to become one of the most consistent bench men in Knicks history, to the point where some wondered why he couldn't be promoted to the starting five. Quickley has been readily granted that opportunity in Toronto, averaging 18 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.8 assists in 10 starts. That makes Quickley doubly dangerous entering today's showdown, as he's not only looking to prove himself to his former public but also to Knicks management that kept him on the relative backburner.
They Said It
“What do I think of him and can there be growth? Absolutely. He’s 23 years old and I think sometimes these players are put in those situations ... sometimes in the beginning of their careers they’re not in the right situation, to be honest. We’re hoping with him, that was the case. So that he can be better here.”-Raptors president Masai Ujiri on RJ Barrett (h/t Stefan Bondy, New York Post)
Prediction
While they've kept the dominance that the Anunoby era has seemed to teach them, the Knicks have put themselves in tenuous spots lately, letting shorthanded or dire groups hang with them for far too long than is comfortable or even losing outright (as they did to an Orlando group missing Franz Wage
