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Three takeaways as Toronto Raptors spoil RJ Barrett's homecoming

Rudi Schuller

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Three takeaways as Toronto Raptors spoil RJ Barrett's homecoming image

It may not have been the most challenging of nights, but the Toronto Raptors earned a well-deserved 126-98 victory over an overmatched New York Knicks team on Wednesday night.

With Canadian rookie RJ Barrett making his first professional appearance in his home country, the Raptors weren't in much of a welcoming mood for the local kid. Despite an early push by the visiting Knicks, Toronto showed why it is still one of the most fearsome teams in the league as seven Raptors finished with double-digit points.

Led by a game-high 31 points from Pascal Siakam, the Raptors demonstrated their trademark unselfishness on offence and suffocating defence, limiting the opposition to under 100 points for the fourth time in five games.

Here are three takeaways from Toronto's win.

RJ's homecoming

Born in Toronto and raised in Mississauga, Ont., Barrett has been hyped as the future of Canadian basketball since he was a high schooler. The son of a professional basketball player, Barrett got his early education in the sport throughout the Greater Toronto Area, so it's only natural for his first game on Canadian soil as an NBA player to be a big deal.

As much as Barrett looked forward to his maiden game in Toronto, the fans at Scotiabank Arena reciprocated the youngster's anticipation with a rousing ovation when his name was announced during pregame warm-ups.  The 19-year-old actually missed the Knicks' previous contest, a 103-101 loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday, due to illness, but he was not going to let his homecoming pass him by.

Barrett demonstrated little sign of rust or lingering sickness as a starter in Wednesday's contest, showing glimpses of the all-around game that has many observers on both sides of the border eager to see what he becomes when he fully realizes his potential. 

An off shooting night didn't deter the former Duke star in over 30 minutes of action, as he offered flashes of what's to come from inside and outside, earning applause from the hometown crowd.

Barrett racked up 15 points on 29.4 percent shooting, with four rebounds, five assists and three steals.

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False hope

New York seemed energized by the love Barrett received in the pregame ceremony, and after quickly going down by seven points the Knicks took advantage of a stalled Toronto offence to eventually grab an 11-point lead early in the second quarter.

It looked as though the beleaguered visitors may give the defending champs a serious test, as everything seemed to click for a stretch while the Raptors struggled with an uncharacteristic run of poor shooting. Then everyone seemed to remember which team was which, as Toronto embarked on a furious run — led by Siakam and Terence Davis — to completely turn the game on its head. 

By halftime, it was all but over, as Toronto headed to the locker rooms with a 58-46 lead and all the momentum.

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The continued education of Spicy P

At this point, no one is surprised when Siakam puts up crazy numbers across the board.

The Raptors' budding superstar has firmly taken over the franchise player role with aplomb this season, averaging 25.7 points and 8.4 rebounds per game heading into Wednesday night. He once again put on a show, torching the Knicks for 31 points in just 30 minutes while going 12-for-22 from the floor (5-for-8 from three-point range).

It was a masterclass of athleticism from the fourth-year forward, who was a threat on both sides of the ball as he finished the game at plus-18.

Perhaps the most important thing is that Siakam got a chance to rest, as he's been playing over 37 minutes per game this season. Head coach Nick Nurse was surely happy to give his young star the entire fourth quarter off.

Rudi Schuller