The road trip starts with a bump as Raptors fall in New York 112-98

Today at 10:11 PM

Despite a better start, improved defence, and more effort, it wasn't enough to overcome a tough Knicks team

The Toronto Raptors traveled to New York to kick off a three-game road trip tonight, falling to the hard-nosed Knicks by 14. Despite the loss, it's always a welcome sight for Raptors fans to catch up with OG and Precious in their new digs.

Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby were most notable for New York on the box score, with 27-13-2 and 21-2 respectively. Not to be forgotten are the irreplaceable contributions of Josh Hart, who battles for every possession, all the time, finishing with 21-11-7.

For Toronto, it was the second game with the full "BBQ" lineup. Scottie finished with 18-5-5 and 4 blocks, Quickley chipped in 22-3-5 and RJ had 16-5-2. It wasn't enough to power them to the win, but at least they're healthy, and hopefully can start to build some chemistry.

Ultimately, this is a season of growing pains. With back and forth injuries, there were a lot of different lineups. There were plenty of other issues, but getting used to playing as a unit and then having that unit disrupted again didn't help the issue. This is apparent now, as Gradey and Ochai seem to be struggling the most, their role having changed now that everyone is healthy.

While it is tough to watch some guys struggle, it is great to have the starting lineup reunited. Seeing them play well together (for part of the game) tonight is even better though, especially on the defensive end. Having their throwback purple jerseys on didn't hurt either.

From the tip, the Raps came out with much better effort than their last couple of games. They led for most of the first quarter, and despite the momentum shifting in New York's favour, they stayed with them throughout the frame. RJ played well in the first, cashing in 7 points early on 75% shooting. He wasn't shy, taking opportunities from inside the paint and beyond the arc. Agbaji had a pair of heads-up plays as well, but was hit during a rebound attempt resulting in a back contusion that held him out for the rest of the game.

In the second, the Raptors had momentum. Quickley highlighted, with a pair of back-to-back plays before hustling out to block a 3-pointer on the following possession. After an 8-0 run, they cut the Knicks' lead, and stayed with them, matching their scoring in the frame. Most impressive was their defence, as they managed a pair of shot clock violations, a 5-second count on an inbounds, and the turnovers they forced throughout the frame.

Back from the locker room, the Raptors tried to come out and repeat their performance from the first half. Unfortunately, about halfway through the third, the game took the same trajectory as so many others this season. It's all of the little things that the Knicks did to be effective. They were able to build a substantial lead here, with a 9-0 run propelling them to double digits. Toronto was never able to recover, and sent the bench in to finish out the final few minutes of the game. On one final entertaining note, in "garbage time" Chris Boucher had 10 straight points in about a minute of game time, which was not on my bingo card for the night.

Next, they'll travel to Cleveland to play tomorrow on the second night of a back-to-back against the #1 seeded Cavaliers.