The Toronto Raptors got a real preview of where things stand on Tuesday night, and it ended with a 122-120 loss to the defending champion New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
For most of the night, Toronto rolled out its primary rotation, which made this more useful than a typical preseason box score. The Raptors got a clearer look at how their main pieces fit together, and a few players came away with very different nights.
Scottie Barnes was the biggest bright spot. He looked sharp on both ends, but especially as a scorer, finishing with a team-high 23 points on 9-of-15 shooting and 4-of-5 from deep.
Even with some foul trouble, he still piled up 4 blocks and gave Toronto exactly the kind of two-way impact it will want from him. The Raptors are planning to use him at small-ball center at times this season, and this was another reminder that he can hold up against elite size, including Karl-Anthony Towns.
Barnes wasn’t the only one who helped his case. Jamison Battle got 14 minutes and scored 10 points off the bench, a notable showing for a player who spent much of last season on the edge of the rotation.
With Allen Graves sitting out, Battle’s minutes suggested Toronto may lean on him early rather than the rookie forward. Graves is expected to see much more action tomorrow night against the Detroit Pistons in the preseason finale.
Not everyone left Madison Square Garden encouraged. Jakob Poeltl struggled over his 26 minutes, and he had trouble staying with Towns when the matchup called for it.
That’s the kind of issue Toronto can’t really ignore, given how thin it is at center. If this game reflected what’s coming in the regular season, it pointed toward a need for help there.
Jamison Walter also had a quiet night after standing out in the previous meeting with the Knicks. He finished with just four points on 1 of 6 shooting in 19 minutes and missed all three of his 3-point tries.
The team-low minus-16 told the story of a rough outing, even though his overall preseason body of work has still been strong. It was one off night, not a reason to panic, and he’ll head into the regular season looking to put it behind him.
In Other News...
Scottie Barnes Had The Perfect Reaction To An Awkward Raptors Moment
Preseason warmups tend to produce a few odd moments, and Scottie Barnes delivered one of the stranger ones before Toronto faced the Knicks. While going up for a 360-degree dunk attempt, Barnes had a wardrobe malfunction when his pants slipped down, turning what was supposed to be a routine bit of looseness into an awkward scene before tipoff.
Barnes handled it with the kind of humor Raptors fans have come to expect, later poking fun at the incident on Instagram. The moment barely lingered once the game started, anyway, as Barnes moved on to help Toronto roll to a 148-98 preseason win with 19 points, six rebounds, four assists, two steals and one block. [Read more 🡒]
Collin Murray-Boyles Is Flashing What The Raptors Frontcourt Needs
Collin Murray-Boyles gave the Raptors a promising glimpse in preseason action against the Knicks, and the part that stood out most was the shot he added to his game. He went 7-for-7 from the field and knocked down both of his three-point attempts, a small sample but an encouraging one for a Toronto frontcourt that could use more spacing after a recent free agency departure.
For a team trying to sort out how its big men fit together, Murray-Boyles showing real touch away from the rim matters. If the shooting gains hold, it could sharpen his path to a meaningful role and give Toronto another frontcourt option who can stretch the floor instead of crowding it. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Could Get A Very Different Raptors Test This Time
The Raptors are heading back to Madison Square Garden for another preseason look at the Knicks, and the backdrop is a little different this time. Toronto already flattened New York in its most recent meeting, but the real value now is less about the score and more about what this stretch is revealing as the regular season creeps closer. The roster is still taking shape, and after waiving Trey Jemison III, the team has two two-way spots left to sort through.
New York, for its part, is expected to answer with a stronger lineup after the lopsided result in the last meeting. That should give Toronto a more useful measuring stick as it continues working through lineup and rotation decisions, especially with so many of those choices still unsettled. Preseason games rarely tell the whole story, but this one figures to say more about where both teams really stand. [Read more 🡒]