Knicks' Winning Streak Goes Extinct vs. Siakam, Raptors
The New York Knicks had an opportunity to place themselves among modern stars of the game like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jayson Tatum.
Pascal Siakam responded by placing his name next to Wilt Chamberlain's and Michael Jordan's.
Thanks to a dominant offensive effort from Siakam, the Toronto Raptors ended two streaks on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden: they stopped a six-game losing streak by denying the Knicks (18-14) their ninth consecutive win, as Siakam's 52 points were the difference in a 113-106 victory.
Siakam's tally made him only the ninth MSG visitor to score at least 50 points in a single regulation game and the first since James Harden had 61 for Houston in January 2019. Others on that list include Rick Barry, Elgin Baylor, Kobe Bryant, Steph Curry, and LeBron James.
The end of the Knicks' streak, one short of the nine they earned toward the end of the 2020-21 season, certainly wasn't the result of a lack of offense: while Jalen Brunson was 3-of-14 from the field, he dished out 12 assists to sharpshooting teammates: RJ Barrett appropriately came to play against the NBA's lone team from his native Canada, putting in 30 points on 11-of-19 from the field. Julius Randle was right behind him on 13-of-17 shooting, earning his fifth consecutive double-double with 30 points and 13 rebounds.
Elsewhere, Immanuel Quickley, granted his first start of the year in place of the injured Quentin Grimes, shot 6-of-9 from three-point range to earn at least 20 points for the second consecutive night; he and Barrett were responsible for all but one of the Knicks' 11 successful attempts from deep on Wednesday (the outlier going to Miles McBride).
Turnovers and a failure to fully secure defensive stops eventually did in the Knicks: Toronto (14-18) led throughout most of the evening, bolstering their lead to double-figures at certain points (including a 63-53 halftime advantage), after forcing 10 from New York's grasp in the first half. Once the Knicks managed to literally get a grip (losing only six over the latter 24 minutes), their sharpshooting got them back into the game, but the Raptors hauled in 16 offensive boards.
Five different players had three each while potential new franchise face Scottie Barnes made up for a 1-for-10 shooting night with four. The Knicks limited the damage to only 10 second chance points (which they in fact matched) but precious moments were removed from their comeback effort. OG Anunoby and Thaddeus Young earned their three in the final frame alone, one that saw the Raptors keep the Knicks at bay with a tie in the fourth quarter tally.
Siakam, however, was the star, putting in a career-best to help end the Raptors' dubious streak. After the Knicks took the lead on a 19-7 run over the first five-plus minutes to open the second half, Siakam the Raptors' final 17 points of the frame. His historic effort was two points short of franchise history, as he became just the fifth Raptor to score 50 points in a single game, a list that also features Vince Carter, DeMar DeRozan, and Terrence Ross. The record-holder, Fred VanVleet, indirectly protected his own record with a dagger three-pointer that silenced a raucous MSG crowd, as the last of his 28 points made it a two-possession game with 1:36 remaining. New York was forced to turn to game-extending fouling afterward, sealing their fate and ending the streak.
New York and Toronto will do battle again on Jan. 6 in Ontario.
In the meantime, the Knicks have a chance to start a new streak on Friday night when they take on the Chicago Bulls on Friday night (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG).
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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