Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire?

Six of the Knicks next seven games are against teams above .500 . The one opponent with a losing record during this stretch is the Lakers, who are playing much better of late.

Last Monday morning, after beating the lowly Pistons the previous evening, the Knicks woke up six games above .500 at 25-19, having won seven of eight. During that eight-game stretch, New York allowed just 103.6 points a night, the lowest average in the NBA. 

This morning, the Knicks are riding a four-game losing streak. After allowing Hawks to score 139 points in Atlanta on Friday, the Knicks' sieve-like defense gave up 125 in a loss to the Raptors on Sunday. It's the first time New York has allowed at least 125 points in consecutive contests since 2019. Over this full four-game stretch, Knicks' opponents are averaging 125.8 PPG. 

New York is in the midst of another maddening swoon in a season that has featured hellacious swings back and forth, from good to garage and back again. 

In addition to missing Mitchell Robinson, who is sidelined after undergoing surgery to repair a fractured right thumb, Immanuel Quickley was also ruled out of Sunday's loss to Toronto due to a sore left knee. IQ and Mitch Rob lead the Knicks in individual Net Rating this season.

The Raps got off to a strong start on Sunday, jumping out to a 15-point lead in the first quarter. Once again, the Knicks gave up far too many open 3-point attempts early on, as Toronto made their first five longballs and shot 7-for-11 from downtown in the opening 12 minutes. 

However, Obi Toppin caught fire in the second quarter, knocking down four straight three-pointers himself, helping New York cut the deficit down to five points. 

After the Raptors opened up a big lead again early in the third quarter, the Knicks, spurred by big buckets from Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson, fought back and entered the final frame tied. However, without a true point guard or player-maker on the floor to start the fourth, Toronto went on an 11-0 run that put the game out of reach.

In theory, this was a game New York could have closed out strongly. They had a rest advantage over the Raps, who had lost a heart-breaker to the Celtics on Saturday. In addition, Toronto was missing their best defensive player, OG Anunoby, who sprained his ankle in that loss to Boston. In addition, Raptors' coach Nick Nurse is one of the few coaches in the NBA that leans more heavily on his starters than Tom Thibedeau.

However, Thibs' odd refusal to stagger the minutes of Randle and Brunson meant that neither player was on the floor to start the fourth. This is a significant issue on a normal night, and it was exacerbated by the fact that Quickley missed his first game of the season. Typically, IQ can run the offense and right the ship when he's on the floor without JB or JR. However, last night the Knicks were relying on a lineup featuring a backcourt of Evan Fournier and Miles McBride, with Isaiah Hartenstein at center. Grimes, another quality shooter/facilitator, was also on the bench during this stretch.