The Raptors can take the Knicks plays and players, but taking them on remains beyond them

A 145-101 blowout New York Knicks’ win over a sub.-500 Toronto Raptors team exceeded the hype, if you can believe it, after it was announced pregame that big man/fan favorite/longest-tenured Knickerbocker Mitchell Robinson would make his return to the floor following 50 games out with an ankle injury. Miles McBride opened things with an 18-point first quarter, knocking down six threes in helping New York to a 45-33 lead that would never fall below double-digits. It’s the Knicks’ third straight win, one that propelled them past the Cleveland Cavaliers for the third-seed in the East. Hope springs eternal for the blue and orange. 

Notes:

• 80 points in the first half is a season-best for the Knicks; 145 points is the most they’ve scored in regulation since November 1980.

• Robinson scored eight points and swatted two shots in 12 minutes. He definitely looked out of shape by the end of his second six-minute stint on the floor, which is why it’s optimal he is both a) coming off the bench for the foreseeable future, and b) coming back at a weak point in the Knicks schedule, so they can allot the time he needs to getting their best defender back into shape ahead of the playoffs. 

• The McBrides of March: Since being inserted into the starting lineup March 18th, Deuce is averaging 21.6 points, 3.8 assists, 2.8 rebounds and one steal, all while shooting 48% from deep. New York improved to 4-1 since the promotion and will continue relying upon him Friday for their matchup with the San Antonio Spurs. This game against Toronto is (arguably) the first we’ve seen of McBride’s defense starting to suffer in lieu of his recent offensive upswing; given that this is the first game in five where he played less than 40 minutes, we’ll set that thought to the side until/if it needs to be revisited.

• This was just the fourth career game for McBride with seven or more assists out of 163. Three have come this season. Stock = rising. 

• Deuce’s six threes in the first quarter tied a franchise record shared by John Starks, Quentin Richardson, and Julius Randle. He became just the ninth Knick in history to hit nine threes in a game, joining Carmelo Anthony, Donte DiVincenzo, Jalen Brunson, John Starks, J.R. Smith, Latrell Sprewell (twice!) and Toney Douglas. History has become a common center of New York basketball discourse in recent weeks. 

• Speaking of history: after setting a new franchise record for three-pointers made in a game, Donte DiVincenzo hit the brakes a bit in his chase for the single-season record also held by Evan Fournier, finishing with just 16 points after scoring 31 and 40 the two previous games. He still connected on five threes and stands three shy of the record. 10 games remain, so barring something extraordinary he could be etching his name into Knicks history (again) as soon as Friday.

• Another broken record for DiVincenzo: Wednesday was his 19th game of the season with five or more threes, breaking the record set by Starks in the 1994-95 season. 

• This was New York’s 13th wire-to-wire win this season, which per Kenny Albert is the most in the NBA. 

• Shake Milton with the reverse! Sure, he did it in the fourth quarter of a blowout, but this is eye candy for basketball fans everywhere. Milton’s not even a year removed from playing 76 games for a 54-28 Philadelphia 76ers team. If you want to write him off, do so at your own risk. 

• Dating back to 2013, Kelly Olynyk has been one of the many infamous “Knicks killers,” an ensemble of role players who consistently perform well against the them, often outperforming their status quo in the process. He’s averaged 11.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.6 assists against the franchise in 28 matchups. Last night he exceeded those numbers, getting the best of Isaiah Hartenstein on multiple occasions in finishing with 13 points, eight assists and seven rebounds. Props to him, on the back nine of his career, for playing with such gusto. He’s not even in a contract year!

• Hartenstein had his moments against Olynyk, too, and finished with 15 points, four rebounds and one assist/block/steal apiece in just 18 minutes. His growing chemistry with Jalen Brunson is a thing of beauty, and bodes well for the continuation of an offense that ranks sixth in assisted field goal percentage since the All-Star break. For anyone doubting the significance here, consider that New York was dead last in assisted field goal percentage prior to the All-Star break. 

• Brunson enjoyed another “night off,” playing just 28 minutes. It’s only the seventh time this season he’s played fewer than 30. Every other occurrence came in a blowout victory, plus the game he was injured in the opening minute at the Cavs. He finished with 26, seven assists and four rebounds. Superstar stuff. It’s been almost enjoyable watching him take in the game like everyone else these past few nights. Hopefully this trend can continue in San Antonio. 

• With the return of Robinson, say goodbye to Jericho Sims, who didn’t check in until half a quarter remained. I would never write off his NBA future, but his time in New York will likely come to an end this summer.

• New York hands Toronto their 50th loss of the season, the first time they’ve lost that many since 2010-11. Take that, Masai. 

• I saved my favorite bullet for last: the Precious Achiuwa Revenge Game™. In his return to his most recent and longest-lasting NBA home, he dominated, finishing with 19 points, 12 rebounds, three assists, two blocks, a steal, and an indictment for the attempted murder of Mouhamadou Gueye.

That’s how you show up when it’s time to see your ex for the first time in three months. We could all take notes from young Achiuwa, who I’d be willing to wager will not be exiled in the great minutes crunch of 2024 once/if this team gets healthy. 

Quoth Kenny Albert: “Robinson with the block!” For the first time in 113 days, New York Knicks fans heard four words as synonymous with their team’s success as any in the last half-decade. Hopefully it stays that way, with the returns of Randle and OG Anunoby (who received a warm standing ovation in his return to his first NBA home) the final stones in the infinity gauntlet representing the Knicks’ championship chase. On to San Antonio.