Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
Raptors Feeling the 'Urgency' as Bench Struggles Cost Toronto in Loss to Knicks
The Toronto Raptors aren't hiding their level of concern. No, the finger-pointing hasn't begun, but there's a growing sense of urgency, as Raptors coach Nick Nurse put it Friday.
Urgency can be a funny thing though. It should, in theory, breed seriousness and an understanding that anything less than maximum effort isn't going to cut it these days. At the same time, though, you can't get uptight.
"I think the guys are trying really hard, maybe trying too hard," Nurse said pre-game Friday.
The Raptors are playing well enough for stretches to win games. The second half on Wednesday against the Milwaukee Bucks was phenomenal and they were right there for large swaths of Friday's game against the New York Knicks. There's just something they can't seem to shake as fourth-quarter blunders and another no-show from the bench cost them again, this time falling 112-108 to New York to drop seven games below .500.
When Fred VanVleet checked out to start the fourth quarter, Toronto was down three. It hadn't been an entirely pretty night, but the Raptors had clawed out of a 17-point hole thanks largely to a pair of stellar performances from VanVleet and Gary Trent Jr. Toronto just needed to tread water for a couple of minutes.
It couldn't be done.
The bench collapsed, again. Toronto missed five straight missed shots as the Knicks jumped up double-digits thanks to an 8-0 run in two minutes without VanVleet. Unlike Wednesday, though, Toronto's comeback wasn't enough to force overtime. Gary Trent Jr.'s off-balance three-pointer with less than a minute to go pulled the Raptors to within two but that's as close as they'd get. An and-1 from Jalen Brunson through three Raptors defenders ended the night for Toronto.
"We're competing, just not well enough, not long enough stretches to win in this league," said VanVleet. "It's hard to win in his league, you can't take that for granted."
It's the inconsistency the Raptors can't seem to shake these days. They looked in sync early. The offense was moving side to side with as much coherence as there's been at any point this season. Trent came off a high ball screen and when the defense collapsed around him he found O.G. Anunoby for a mid-range jumper as Toronto worked more pick-and-roll into its attack. The problem for the Raptors was Julius Randle who nailed five threes in the first quarter including a trio of tough step-back jumpers despite smothering defense from Toronto.
When Pascal Siakam and VanVleet checked out late in the quarter, things quickly fell apart. A seven-point Knicks lead nearly doubled in the five minutes they sat heading into the second quarter. Save for Chris Boucher who nailed a three-pointer and converted a pair of transition buckets to end the first half, Toronto's bench continued to flounder in limited action.
"I just keep trying to encourage them and boost them with confidence," VanVleet said of the bench. "It's a tough spot. They’ve got a tough job to do with a little leash and coach is tough. He's tough as he shouldn't be. The odds are against ‘em in that regard and if you don't play well, as soon as you check in then you know it's gonna be cut short. So they're definitely up against a tough challenge."
Trent, however, wouldn't let the Knicks getaway. He nailed a three in transition courtesy of Barnes then hooked up with VanVleet for another three, side-stepping his defender to pull the Raptors to within two early in the third. VanVleet added 11 of his 28 points in the frame, including a deep bank shot three late in the quarter as Toronto continued to hang with New York.
Toronto's bench was a minus-29 in 41 minutes, mustering just 15 points. Their inability to hold their own for any length of time is forcing Nurse to rely far too heavily on his starters. VanVleet, Trent, and Anunoby all eclipsed 40 minutes and Siakam fell two seconds shy.
"We've had our fights about it, but I trust coach and I trust what he's doing," VanVleet said of his extended minutes. "But think my minutes are down a bit. Maybe one. So, I will take it, one at a time, but coach is trying and I'm just, again, whatever the team needs, I try to provide that."
Up Next: Portland Trail Blazers
The Raptors' homestand will continue Sunday when the Portland Trail Blazers come to town for an early 3:30 p.m. ET tipoff at Scotiabank Arena.
