Holly MacKenzie - Raptors.com
It Was Over When...
Langston Galloway hit a dagger three-pointer with 13 seconds remaining to put the New York Knicks up five and defeat the Toronto Raptors 103-98. The loss gives Toronto its first five-game losing streak of the season and comes one day after the Raptors were blown out at home by the Warriors and the Knicks picked up a double-overtime victory in Detroit.
The Underrated Raptor
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James Johnson scored 14 points on 6-for-11 shooting from the field and added seven rebounds, two assists and three blocks. Johnson has been active on the defensive end for Toronto and has averaged two blocks per contest over his last seven games.
Lowry Sits This One Out
On Friday night, Dwane Casey acknowledged that point guard Kyle Lowry has been banged up and needed rest. The team elected to sit him against the Knicks. It is unknown whether Lowry will suit up on Monday night against his hometown Sixers in Philly.
Starters As Usual
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One game after Patrick Patterson was inserted into the starting lineup for Amir Johnson to match up with Golden State’s Draymond Green, the Raptors went back to their regular starters, minus Kyle Lowry. Greivis Vasquez started in Lowry’s absence.
That’s A Rap…
“We just need one thing to happen. We need to put together one good game. Just get back to understanding and knowing we can play better basketball, a lot better, and play like we were playing at the beginning of the season.” - DeMar DeRozan on needing to push past this losing streak
By The Numers
21 - Misses from beyond the arc. The Raptors attempted 29 shots from three, connecting on just eight. Together, Lou Williams and Greivis Vasquez had 19 attempts from beyond the arc.
38 - Free throw attempts for the Knicks. New York made 30 of their 38 attempts, compared to just 22 makes in 28 attempts for the Raptors.
16 - Just 16 assists for the Raptors as a team, compared to 21 for the Knicks.
They Said It
“You have to play through it. It is on us as a group and we have to figure out a way to get through it. We were getting point blank three-point shots and point blank layups. Shots we normally make. The only way we are going to get through it is to see those baskets made.“ - Dwane Casey on the Raptors' current struggles
“It sucks. It feels like crap, honestly. To be on a losing streak like this, come in here and lose here tonight. It’s tough, but we’ve got to fight through it. Like I said, now we get to see who is really behind us, in this tough time. Once we get out of it, we knew we could do it from the gate. We’re just in a tough spot right now and we’ve got to get out of it.” - DeMar DeRozan on the toll of a five-game losing streak
“You’ve just got to keep playing. Come together as a team. Keep playing. Keep fighting. Can’t feel sorry for ourselves even though we’re losing. We’ve just got to keep fighting, keep playing and continue getting the support from our fans.” - Amir Johnson on keeping a positive mindset
Up Next
The Raptors board a train in New York and head to Philadelphia to try and end this slide against the 76ers on Monday night at 7 PM ET.