New York Knicks prove there is still more to learn with road loss to Raptors

The New York Knicks fell to the Toronto Raptors on Friday night 107-84. The road loss proved that although the Knicks have shown promise, there is still more for this young team to learn.

A cold shooting night by Kristaps Porzingis and Tim Hardaway Jr. proved to be the difference against Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan, and the Toronto Raptors as the New York Knicks fell to our neighbors north of the border 107-84.

The New York Knicks were far from the team that we’ve seen at home. The offense looked stagnant and the defense was a far cry from what we’ve become accustomed to.

Five Raptors were able to score in double digits, led by Lowry and DeRozan’s 22 points. C.J. Miles had 14 points, while Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby chipped in 13 and 11, respectively.

Porzingis suffered a rough shooting night going 3-13 from the field. The Knicks as a whole shot an abysmal 32.6% from the field.

With Hardaway Jr. and Porzingis having rough shooting nights, scoring 13 points each, the Raptors were able to cruise to a double-digit lead early and ultimately ran away with the game.

Games like Friday night can be very frustrating. Although the Knicks may be young, they are extremely talented and they’re still finding themselves.

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Performances like Friday night are head-scratchers when compared to previous battles against the Cleveland Cavaliers and Utah Jazz. In those games, the Knicks looked like they were on the verge of something special by putting together complete offensive and defensive games.

Friday night, Lowry and DeRozan played like the All-Stars they are, often getting to their spots and scoring at will. With this loss to the Raptors, the Knicks fall to the ninth seed in the Eastern Conference with a record of 8-7.

If the Knicks want to compete in the East and be taken seriously, they’re going to have to win on the road. There’s no way around it, all playoff and championship-caliber teams have to pull off victories on the road. This group is obviously not at a championship stage but the mentality has to be instilled now.

The core of Hardaway Jr., Porzingis, and Frank Ntilikina will be expected to lead this team if and when they make the playoffs and this is just another lesson early in the season. The energy, toughness, and grit that’s displayed at Madison Square Garden must translate on the road.

Next: New York Knicks: Did New York choose the right point guard?

Monday night, the New York Knicks host the Los Angeles Clippers at home. They will hopefully turn things around as the Knicks are 7-3 at home and 1-4 on the road this year.