Knicks at Raptors Preview: How, Who to Watch in Northern Conflict
Charity is hardly rewarded in the modern NBA and the New York Knicks are looking to continue taking advantage of the less fortunate.
The Knicks' propensity to take care of business against lesser opponents has been well-documented and New York will look to keep the trend alive against the reeling Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night. Winners of six in their last seven, the Knicks will look to add to True North woes: the Raptors have lost 11 in a row entering Wednesday night action and will be eliminated from any form of postseason contention with a loss and an Atlanta Hawks victory.
New York is coming off a historic evening at Madison Square Garden, which saw Donte DiVincenzo set a franchise single-game record for successful three-pointers in a 124-99 victory over the equally woebegone Detroit Pistons. DiVincenzo sank 11 in the win, which allowed the Knicks to keep pace in the jam-packed Eastern Conference playoff race. New York is once again only a half-game behind Cleveland for third-place on the current bracket and a full one up on Orlando for fourth. All three teams are in action on Wednesday night.
This will be the fourth and final meeting between the Atlantic Division rivals this season, and the Knicks will have a chance for their first four-game sweep of Toronto since 2010-11. Whereas the Knicks received some good injury news on Wednesday, as long-absent starting center Mitchell Robinson has been upgraded to questionable, Toronto will be without most of its regulars, including former Knicks RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley, both of who are reconditioning after taking time off for personal reasons. Toronto All-Star Scottie Barnes is also sitting out with a fractured left hand.
What: New York Knicks (43-28) @ Toronto Raptors (23-49)
Where: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, ON
When/Watch: Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. ET, MSG
Who's Favored: NYK -12.5
Keep An Eye On: Precious Achiuwa
With Barrett, Quickley, and OG Anunoby all sitting out (and Malachi Flynn already traded to Detroit), Achiuwa will be the sole representative of the blockbuster December trade that flipped the Knicks' season suiting up on Wednesday. Achiuwa's season is at a bit of a crossroads: after he was benched for most of Saturday's win over Brooklyn, he retained his usual workload against the Pistons on Monday and pulled in 16 rebounds in relief. But with Robinson returning and knowing head coach Tom Thibodeau's propensity to use only two true big men, are Achiuwa's days in the metropolitan rotation numbered? A strong showing against his former employers could make a case for postseason inclusion.
Raptor to Watch: Gradey Dick
With elimination looming, the development of Dick ... and his propensity for jersey-inspired viral moments ... is perhaps the one thing the Raptors have left to play for. The first-round pick certainly hasn't been afraid to throw up shots, trying over 11 a game. His success rate has been far from satisfying (including 30.8 percent from three-point range) but flashes of brilliance have emerged, such as a 21-point showing in last Friday night's loss to Oklahoma City.
They Said It
“That’s the foundation: defense and rebounding. If you defend and you rebound and you do what he asks, then offensively it’s a green light. It’s freedom, within reason. There’s not a situation where he’s going to be like, ‘Don’t shoot that shot.’ He wants everybody to play with the utmost confidence as long as you’re playing on the defensive end.”-Donte DiVincenzo on shooting three-pointers in a Tom Thibodeau system (h/t Stefan Bondy, New York Post)
Prediction
Wednesday brings another game where the Knicks can flex their muscles against a less fortunate opponent and they better fatten up on de facto junk food considering what lies ahead. New York hasn't had many issues in international diplomacy against their Canadian neighbors/trade partners this season and with so many sitting for the reeling Raptors, it'd be foolish to expect much resistance on Wednesday.