Stars struggle, bench shines as Raptors trounce Knicks

Rudi Schuller

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Stars struggle, bench shines as Raptors trounce Knicks image

The Raptors claimed their fourth consecutive victory with a 113-88 win over the New York Knicks at Air Canada Centre on Thursday, and neither of Toronto's perennial All-Stars was the hero.

Jonas Valanciunas led the Raptors in scoring with 18 points, and the 25-year-old was one of eight Toronto players who had more of an offensive impact than Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan.

Toronto (38-16) moved to within a half-game of the East-leading Celtics, with Boston taking on Washington later Thursday.

Here are three takeaways from the Raptors' win over the Knicks:

Big Science

Valanciunas has made his reputation as a first-half player, but over the past several games Toronto coach Dwane Casey has given the Lithuanian more playing time in the final two quarters.

It has paid off.

Valanciunas has been demonstrably more confident in the closing stages of games lately, and it has led to an overall increase in the big man's production. His team-high in points was accompanied by 10 rebounds on Thursday, and he continues to be a threat from behind the arc.

Valanaciunas hit two of his three 3-point attempts against the Knicks, pushing his season average to 44 percent from long distance.

All-Star struggles

DeRozan and Lowry are the Raptors' two most prolific scorers, but on Thursday neither player looked the part.

The backcourt duo combined for just 15 points against the Knicks, which is below both players' individual season averages. They each sported ugly shooting percentages, with DeRozan going an uncharacteristic 2-11 (18.2 percent) to bring up the rear among all Toronto players (Lowry's 20 percent was second-worst).

The only familiar part of DeRozan's game was his free-throw shooting, which was a perfect 3-for-3.

Bench mob rules

Toronto's depth continues to be a major strength, and against the Knicks the bench players once again showed their quality.

With Lowry and DeRozan struggling offensively, New York was able to chip away at the Raptors' lead until it was just a six-point difference in the third quarter.

Enter the "bench mob," which picked up where many of the starters couldn't. Toronto pulled away during the closing moments of the third quarter and continued to pile on in the final frame, with most of the offence coming from the second unit.

Pascal Siakam (14), Jakob Poeltl (13), C.J. Miles (11), Delon Wright (11) and Fred VanVleet (10) all hit double digits in points, and the Raptors' second unit showed that it can also play, at speed, at both ends of the court.

The Raptors lead the Eastern Conference in bench scoring for 2018, with the second unit accounting for 43.5 points-per-game since Jan. 1.

Rudi Schuller