Takeaways as Raptors fall short in loss to Knicks

New York Knicks 113, Toronto Raptors 108

It’s rare that an NBA trade really works out for everyone. Virtually every trade has someone looking back with regret for either overpaying or being short-sighted in some maneuver they thought was a stroke of genius at the time. And yet, nearly a year after Toronto shipped OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa and Malachi Flynn to New York for RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley, no one is complaining about the deal.

“I think it was very important for us to have RJ, who is a really good scorer, he also fits his age group,” Raptors coach Darko Rajaković said before tipoff on Monday night. “I think both of those guys (Barrett and Immanuel Quickley) fit really well with our team, they fit into what we do on the field, the strategic long plan, we like our guys.”

Rightfully so.

While Quickley has been sidelined for most of the year, his fit in Toronto has always made sense. He is the ideal sidekick for Scottie Barnes as a multi-skilled combo guard who is completely comfortable running the offense or playing the ball as a floor-spacing shooting guard.

The real bonus has been the emergence of Barrett, who has exceeded all of the expectations Toronto had for him since the organization essentially bought him as a trade filler. Against his former team, Barrett looked like he wanted New York to undo the deal, leading the Raptors with 30 points.

It was a quintessential Barrett performance as he repeatedly came inside against a Knicks defense that has struggled mightily this season. He sparked Toronto with 17 points before halftime and kept the Raptors going after Barnes left injured in the second half.

Barrett’s pressure at the rim late in the fourth quarter forced the Knicks to collapse before a Davion Mitchell three-pointer put Toronto up three. With New York pulling away, Barrett called his own number and drove end-to-end for a contested layup with 40 seconds left.

But New York got the last laugh on Monday.

It was an Anunoby block on a late drive by Barrett that saved the Knicks from disaster. Moments later, Karl-Anthony Towns connected on a three over Barrett’s outstretched arms, and there was nothing Toronto could do.

Anunoby held up his share of the bargain for New York, albeit not quite as offensively explosive as his Raptors counterpart. He finished the night with 14 points, two steals and three blocks in 41 minutes.

Looking back on it, it’s hard to say either team would walk away from the deal if they had a do-over. New York certainly gave up a lot for Anunoby, but that’s the price for the kind of two-way wing organizations demand these days. For Toronto, the deal now looks like a no-brainer with franchise-changing upside.

Just when the Raptors finally seemed to be getting some consistency, injury struck again Monday night when Barnes twisted his right ankle trying to get a rebound while colliding with Karl-Anthony Towns in the third quarter. It was an ugly scene as Barnes was left writhing in pain before being helped to the dressing room, unable to put pressure on his right foot.

Toronto eventually ruled Barnes out with an upcoming medical update.

Ja’Kobe Walter turned in the best performance of his rookie season on Monday night with 19 points against the Knicks. It was the first time this season that Walter really found a groove offensively, connecting on 6 of 12 shots, including a crucial three-pointer he fired out of a catch-and-shoot look after winding around about a screen from Jakob Poeltl.

The 20-year-old first-round pick has shown his age often early this year, but Monday’s performance was the kind of game Toronto hopes for

The Raptors will hit the road for a quick trip to Miami on Thursday night when they take on the Heat at 7:30 pm ET.