toronto-the new York Knicks They have bigger goals than anything they can achieve right now, but checking off the small wins along the way can help – the first is to continue to establish your identity.
Knicks win NBA Cup semifinals in Las Vegas win 117-101 Above Toronto Raptors Tuesday night, their eighth win in nine games.
victories are starting to look alike Jalen Brunson Setting the pace. Brunson scored 20 of his game-high 35 points in the first quarter, helping offset carl-anthony town spending most of the quarter in foul trouble on the bench, and brandon ingram Powered Toronto with 17 points in the opening frame.
More than anything, the Knicks’ opportunistic defense was on full display, holding the Raptors to just 13 points in the second quarter while outscoring them by 21.
It’s a far cry from how New York started the season, posting a 3-6 record away from Madison Square Garden.
“We’re starting to figure out who we are,” Knicks coach Mike Brown said. “At the beginning of the season, we had a lot of injuries during the preseason, so I didn’t have a good experience for this team, or not as good an experience as I should have, and that’s why we [have struggled] On the way.”
The Knicks’ top talent and consistency were able to carry them forward at first, but now they are starting to show signs of why many consider them the favorites to reach the NBA Finals.
Towns returned after missing one game due to left calf strain, scoring 14 points and grabbing 16 rebounds, while josh hart He continued his strong play since returning to the starting lineup. Hart was 4 of 7 from 3 and finished with 21 points, six rebounds and four assists.
Hart is shooting well over 40% from 3-point range since rejoining as the starter on November 24, and Toronto’s strategy of playing Hart center and daring him to shoot backfired, as it did when these teams last played on November 30.
“I know it sounds crazy, but we still have a lot of room to grow on both sides of the floor,” Brown said. “We can be a very high-level defensive team.”
In the past two years, the Knicks had been eliminated from the NBA Cup in the quarterfinal round. This time, they proceeded to play orlando magic — And Desmond Bain – In Las Vegas for the second time in less than a week.
Frustrated Ben throws basketball in front of Knicks OG Anunoby On a non-call on the other end in their game on Sunday. However, nothing much happened after the Knicks’ 106–100 win Bain was fined $35,000 For “hostile acts”.
The Magic and Knicks have already played each other three times, and familiarity could breed some contempt — especially with the added financial incentive the NBA Cup brings.
