New York Knicks Are Outmatched by Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors arrived at Madison Square Garden on Monday night with two All-Stars in their starting lineup, a glowing record and an offense that was capable of creating shots from every conceivable angle.
The Knicks showed up with a high-profile acquisition from the N.B.A. Development League and the nagging sense that their season was slipping away from them. Limping toward the finish of a futile month, the Knicks have continued to regard the playoffs as some distant beacon — as if a trip to the postseason were a realistic goal rather than a pointless daydream.
The Raptors were not feeling particularly generous as they dealt the Knicks a 122-95 loss, helping to ensure a muted start to the Jimmer Fredette era, however long it lasts.
Fredette, a former lottery pick who signed a 10-day contract with the Knicks on Monday morning, remained on the bench for much of the game. When Kurt Rambis, the team’s interim coach, finally called on Fredette to shed his warm-up attire with less than two minutes left, the crowd — at least those fans who remained — roared.
Fourteen seconds later, Fredette sank his only field-goal attempt, a 3-pointer. The Knicks trailed by 21. The shot was one of their few highlights.
Carmelo Anthony, who finished with 23 points and 11 rebounds for the Knicks (24-34), was already dressed when members of the news media entered the home locker room minutes after the game — a rarity for a player who often takes nearly an hour to change and receive postgame treatment. On Monday, he did not want to stick around.
“I need to go home and just relax, decompress a little,” Anthony said, adding: “When you’re not on the same page out there on the court, it’s hard to communicate with one another — or you’re not communicating with one another. There were times tonight when we weren’t communicating with each other.”
The Knicks, who lost for the 12th time in their last 14 games, appeared to be fraying at the seams, and the Raptors (37-18) took full advantage. They were powered by Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, their two All-Stars. Lowry finished with 22 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds, and DeRozan added 22 points. Toronto outscored the Knicks by 58-38 in the paint.
“We can’t stop the ball,” Rambis said.
Fredette, through no fault of his own, turned into a sideshow as the game ballooned into a blowout. Fans alternated between booing the Knicks and chanting for Fredette to report to the scorer’s table. At this point, with the team seemingly on the verge of an implosion, Fredette seems to represent, however unrealistically, one last hope.
Fredette, 26, joined the Knicks after appearing in 30 games with the team’s D-League affiliate in White Plains. A 6-foot-2 guard and a former star at Glens Falls High School, north of Albany, Fredette stood at the center of a swarm of news cameras about an hour before the game.
“Hopefully I can just provide a spark in any way they want me to,” he said. “I want to go out there and try to be the best teammate I can be, and hopefully provide something off the bench and be able to score the basketball and do whatever it takes to help the team win.”
It would have been impossible for Fredette to sound more earnest. He added, “I’m superexcited.”
Rambis, though, has sounded lukewarm about Fredette in recent days, and his tone was no different during his own pregame news conference. Everyone knows Fredette can shoot, Rambis said. But can he defend? Can he create for his teammates? Can he pick up the nuances of the triangle offense quickly enough to contribute in a meaningful way?
“He’s going to have to exhibit bringing something to the table that’s better than what we already have here,” Rambis said. “He’s going to have to outplay somebody. I’m not going to displace somebody that’s been here all year and has been working hard in practice.”
Rambis was clear that Fredette would need to prove himself in practice starting Tuesday, before the Knicks travel to face the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday.
Based on the Knicks’ performance against the Raptors, Fredette ought to at least have a chance to carve out some minutes. Jose Calderon, the team’s starting point guard, went scoreless in 19 minutes, and Arron Afflalo finished with 7 points in 33 minutes.
“I appreciate the fans and everything,” Fredette said. “I tried to keep my head in the game and worry about the task at hand. You have to continue to focus that way.”
The Raptors coasted into halftime with 57-43 lead after limiting the Knicks to 6-of-19 field-goal shooting in the second quarter. The Knicks also missed six straight free throws.
After watching it all from the bench, Fredette walked off the court with his new teammates to a chorus of jeers — a fitting introduction to his time with the team.