Canadian Bakin'; Brunson, Randle, Knicks Pull Away From Old Toronto Friends Barrett, Quickley
Saturday night proved warm and lucrative for New York Knicks past and present.
Madison Square Garden offered RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley a warm yet cold welcome back over the weekend, regaling the newly-minted Toronto Raptors with cheers before the modern Knicks bestowed a 126-100 shellacking that provided their fourth win in a row. Saturday's game was the first between New York and Toronto since a Dec. 30 that sent Barrett, Quickley, and a second-round pick up north in exchange for OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa, and Malachi Flynn.
Brad Penner, USA TODAY SPORTS
Jalen Brunson led the way for the Knicks (26-17) with 38 points while Julius Randle put up an 18-point, 16-rebound, 10-assist triple-double, the 14th of his career and eighth in New York. Anunoby registered 14 points and seven boards with three blocks in his first game against his original NBA employers.
New York improved to 9-2 since the trade was made official, good for the second-best winning percentage in the league behind only Cleveland (7-1) in that span.
As the Knicks continue a lengthy homestand, they once again kept things a little too close for comfort against a reeling visitor in the early going. Before dropping its sixth over the last seven, Toronto (16-27) led by as much as 11 in the opening period, partly egged on by a combined 15 points for the New York transplants Barrett and Quickley. In a rally staged by Brunson, Randle, and the reserves, the Knicks mustered a 15-4 run over the final five minutes to generate a 31-all tie after the opening dozen.
Between eight points and four assists, Quickley played a role in 17 of the Raptors' first 31 tallies. Barrett put up eight more points in the second period, which saw the Knicks take a mere two-point advantage going into intermission thanks in part to 13 turnovers in 24 minutes.
Whatever was said in the halftime locker room break apparently worked: after Jontay Porter briefly tied the game off a Quickley assist, the Knicks embarked on an 18-4 run that permanently shifted momentum. Brunson himself put in 12 the tallies and assisted on the Donte DiVincenzo layup that opened things up. With a double-figured lead well-established at 14, Toronto never got closer than 12 the rest of the way.
The game's lax nature allowed fans to offer guilt-free appreciation for Barrett and Quickley, two homegrown talents and tenured Knicks that were sacrificed for Anunoby and figure to be foundational pieces for the Raptors' evolving future. Those gathered at MSG on Saturday offered hearty cheers for both, particularly when they were introduced among the Toronto starters after the other three were booed as usual. Each player was also granted a tribute on MSG's video board, which also drew from the 19,812 assembled.
Barrett led the Raptors with 20 points and eight rebounds in defeat while Quickley put up a 12-point, 11-assist double-double. New York neutralized homegrown Toronto franchise face Scottie Barnes, holding him to only nine points on 4-of-14 shooting.
Anunoby wasn't the only former Raptor cast in the spotlight on Saturday: Achiuwa took on extended responsibilities in the win after starting center Isaiah Hartenstein was forced to leave the game with an ankle injury.
In his most prominent New York opportunity to date (25 minutes), Achiuwa pulled in a season-best 11 rebounds, including four of the offensive variety. Achiuwa also scored 18 off the bench as he camped out under the rim to hit 9-of-10 attempts.
Even with Hartenstein forced to leave early, New York put up a plus-30 advantage on the glass thanks to Achiuwa's clutch insertion and Randle's 16 in his triple-double. Next to Achiuwa, Josh Hart had nine in relief after missing Thursday's narrow win over Washington with a knee ailment.
New York improved to 3-0 against the Raptors this season and will look for their first sweep of the True North since 2010-11 when they hit up Ontario on March 27.
In the meantime, the Knicks hit the road for their next game, but get to stay in New York when they face the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night at Barclays Center (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG/TNT).
