Raptors need one thing to beat Knicks in NBA Cup

Darko Rajakovic is asking his team to improve one aspect of their game.

Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown passes the ball against Toronto Raptors forward Sandro Mamukelashvili | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

The Toronto Raptors are going into their biggest game of the season when they take on the New York Knicks in their NBA Cup quarterfinal.

After going 4-0 in group play and winning nine games in a row, the Raptors have only won three of their last eight games. The team is in the midst of a three-game losing streak after falling to the Boston Celtics over the weekend, but head coach Darko Rajakovic liked what he saw from his team late in the game.

“They were not the same guys. Energy was different. Urgency was different. Couple other guys stepped up over there in the second half and helped us,” Rajakovic said via Sportsnet reporter Kai Gammage. “In this league, you cannot take anything for granted. Every single night is a new opportunity to compete and to prove yourself. What happened yesterday, good or bad, nobody cares about it. 

“It's all about that moment, where (you’re) at, how you compete, and I'm demanding more urgency from the whole team, demanding more scrappiness, because when we do that like we did it in the second half, we're a completely different team, and we can compete with any team in this league. We just got to do that over the course of 48 minutes. It cannot be just one half.”

Rajakovic wants urgency from Raptors

The Raptors' early-season success proves that the team can be one of the best in the Eastern Conference. However, their three-game losing streak suggests that there is still more work to be done.

The Raptors haven't always played with urgency throughout the season, so it's an area of improvement for the team that they can fix now even while they aren't fully healthy. The losing streak has shown the value of RJ Barrett, who has been out for the last eight games with a knee sprain and won't be back for at least another week.

Injuries are something beyond Toronto's control, but that doesn't mean everything can be blamed on the fact that one player isn't on the court. The Raptors still have to put their best foot forward with the players that are able to suit up. It's up to Rajakovic and his players to do as much as they can to try and win.

Tipoff between the Knicks and Raptors is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET inside Scotiabank Arena.