Tired Knicks Lose a Heartbreaker to Toronto

Thibs and his staff have to do a better job of ensuring the team maintain momentum and offensive ball-movement even if they are ahead late in games.

With nine minutes left in regulation in Monday's matinee at MSG vs. the Raptors, Immanuel Quickley knocked down a pair of free throws to give the Knicks a 93-83 lead. 

The good news: The Knicks were up double-digits in the fourth quarter. 

The bad news: The Knicks were up double-digits in the fourth quarter. 

Toronto would claw its way back, going up by two in the closing moments before RJ Barrett grabbed a rebound with six seconds left, drove the length of the floor, and emphatically dunked over Scottie Barnes to send the game to overtime. 

The Raps gained a six-point advantage in OT before the Knicks cut the deficit to two. And with time expiring, Jalen Brunson got a wide-open look at a potential game-winning three-pointer, but the ball bounced harmlessly off the rim.

"I saw [my defender] back up. I saw the time. It's a shot I work on all the time, and I thought it was good," Brunson told reporters in the locker room. 

Many of the problems that have plagued the Knicks this season were on display Monday afternoon. The defeat to Toronto was the eighth time New York has lost a game in which they led by at least ten points this season. And, again, their offense, which was solid over the first three quarters, stagnated in the final frame. 

As we have discussed previously, the Knicks tend to revert to a "prevent offense" late in games, seemingly hoping to run out the clock instead of continuing to attack and utilizing the same offensive principles that helped them gain the lead in the first place. Instead of crisply moving the ball around the floor and making quick decisions, they often go into ISO mode, hoping either Randle or Brunson will bail them out.

In the first half of games this season, New York averages 117 points per 100 possessions, which ranks 4th in the league.

In the fourth quarter of games, NY averages 108 points per 100 possessions, which ranks 25th.