RJ Barrett forces OT with last-second slam, but Knicks ultimately fall to Raptors
Knicks guard RJ Barrett (9) dunks in front of Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes (4) at the end of the second half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Jan. 16, 2023. Credit: AP/Adam Hunger
As dunks go, it had to be one of the most beautiful — and ultimately most meaningless — made at Madison Square Garden this year.
The Knicks ruined a chance for RJ Barrett to become the hero who beat the team he grew up following when they fell apart in overtime and lost to the Toronto Raptors, 123-121, at Madison Square Garden on Monday.
Barrett, who has been overshadowed by teammates Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson during the Knicks’ recent surge, sent the game into overtime with a play that brought the entire Garden to its feet. With 6.6 seconds left and the Knicks out of timeouts, Barrett rebounded Scottie Barnes’ missed free throw, took it coast to coast and slammed it over the head of Barnes.
“It’s a tough one, especially when you fight so hard to be in a position to win the game,” said Barrett, who led the Knicks with 32 points. “It was such an up-and-down game. You want to come out with a win.”
The Knicks (25-20) were fighting an uphill battle in overtime after O.G. Anunoby hit two three-pointers to give the Raptors a six-point lead. Still, the Knicks almost erased it in the final minute and would have won the game if Brunson had hit his 26-foot attempt at the buzzer.
“I wasn’t thinking at all. I just took what the defense was giving me,” said Brunson, who had 26 points. “I saw them back up. I saw the time. It’s a shot I work on all the time, and I thought it was good.”
The loss ended a three-game winning streak for the Knicks. It also dropped them to 11-12 at the Garden, making them the only team in the league that has a winning record but is under .500 at home.
The Raptors (20-24) were led by Fred VanVleet’s 33 points. Barnes added 26.
With 5 1⁄2 minutes left in regulation, the Knicks led 101-92. They then allowed the Raptors to go on a 12-3 run to tie the score.
The Knicks were once again hindered by poor free-throw shooting late in a tight game. Julius Randle (21 points and 15 rebounds) and Brunson each missed a free throw in the final two minutes of regulation. Randle and Mitchell Robinson each missed one in the overtime.
Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau was also clearly upset about the officiating. Thibodeau challenged a foul call on Brunson that was not overturned in the fourth quarter. He also seemed to have a problem with the Raptors attempting 41 free throws while the Knicks had 35 attempts.
“I don’t really care if a game’s called tight or if it’s called loose. I just want consistency,” Thibodeau said. “That’s what I look for. And so, it was physical. It was. There was a lot going on. And so again, I want to watch to make sure I saw what I thought I saw.”
The Raptors entered the game with the 11th-best record in the Eastern Conference and this is the second time this season they’ve come into the Garden and won. Toronto’s victory last month sent the Knicks on a five-game losing streak, but they’ve otherwise been playing some of the league’s best basketball since the beginning of December.
Brunson said it was hard for the team to lose that way after the game that Barrett turned in.
“He’s worked really hard to get back and trying to get back into the rhythm, and I think this was his ‘I’m back in rhythm game,’ ” Brunson said. “I’m just excited how he played tonight. I wish we could’ve brought home the win for him, because he played great, and he deserved it.”
Barbara Barker is an award-winning columnist and features writer in the sports department at Newsday. She has covered sports in New York for more than 20 years.
