Knicks buck shaky start, escape Raptors in last preseason gig
NEW YORK, United States — The defending NBA champions New York Knicks got one final dress rehearsal before raising their championship banner, holding off the Toronto Raptors, 122-120, Thursday night (Friday Manila time) at a sold-out Madison Square Garden.
With Tuesday’s season opener (Wednesday Manila time) against LeBron James and the Philadelphia 76ers looming, Knicks coach Mike Brown treated the preseason finale as an opportunity to sharpen his team’s rhythm and assess his rotation before beginning their title defense.
And despite a shaky finish, Brown liked what he saw.
The Knicks recorded 35 assists on 43 made field goals, a display of unselfish basketball that pleased Brown more than the final score.
“That says something about the connectivity of the group, us sacrificing and willing to share the basketball with one another,” Brown said afterward. “At the end of the day, we’re trying to make the game easier for our team.”
Jalen Brunson led New York with 20 points and seven assists, while Karl-Anthony Towns fell one assist shy of a triple-double, finishing with 13 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists.
Mikal Bridges added 14 points, while backup center Andre Drummond contributed 14 points, eight rebounds and four assists in just over 15 minutes.
Brown was particularly encouraged by his centers’ playmaking, with Towns and Drummond combining for 13 assists.
“I thought Andre was really good, too,” Brown said. “He played a good game of basketball on both ends of the floor, and he was very impactful.”
Brown leaned on an 11-man rotation through the first three quarters, giving his regulars extended playing time before turning to the back end of his roster late in the fourth.
The Knicks led 63-58 at halftime and stretched their advantage to 87-79 entering the final period.
Brown singled out the third quarter, when New York held Toronto to 21 points, as an example of the basketball he wants his team to play.
“We took care of the ball. We were physical without fouling defensively,” Brown said. “I didn’t care what the score was, and I was just excited because I thought our group was playing the right way.”
Toronto erupted for 41 points in the fourth quarter, but New York survived the late rally.
Scottie Barnes paced the Raptors with 23 points, while former Knicks RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley added 21 and 18, respectively.
Hart sits, Clarkson gets final tuneup
With Josh Hart sidelined by a sore right ankle, Brown inserted rookie Mohamed Diawara into the starting lineup alongside Brunson, Towns, Bridges and OG Anunoby.
Diawara finished with six points, three rebounds and one assist in nearly 20 minutes, gaining valuable experience against Toronto’s regulars.
Brown downplayed concerns about Hart’s availability for opening night, saying he did not expect the injury to linger.
Filipino-American guard Jordan Clarkson, meanwhile, finished with two points and two steals in 10 minutes and 46 seconds off the bench, making one of his two field-goal attempts.
The Knicks’ remaining roster decisions also continued to draw attention.
Bruce Brown, who is competing with former No. 2 overall pick James Wiseman for the 14th roster spot, did not play.
Wiseman entered late in the fourth quarter and finished with two points and one rebound in three minutes and 56 seconds.
Brown also praised the development of Diawara and fellow youngster Pacôme Dadiet, who contributed six points in just over 11 minutes.
“He and Mo at different times tonight showed some growth for really young guys,” Brown said of Dadiet and Diawara.
The Knicks finished the preseason with a 1-4 record, although their exhibition results hardly reflect the stakes awaiting them next week.
On Tuesday, Madison Square Garden will celebrate New York’s first NBA championship in 53 years with a ring ceremony before the Knicks open their title defense against James and the 76ers.
For Brown, Thursday’s narrow victory offered one final reminder of what carried the Knicks to the championship: sharing the basketball, trusting one another and playing with purpose.
The next time they take the floor, the games will count.
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Alder Almo is a former senior sportswriter for Philstar.com and NBA.com Philippines. He is now based in Jersey City, New Jersey, and writes for US-based publication Heavy.com.
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