Raptors 114 – Knicks 91
TORONTO – Vince Carter hasn’t had much to laugh about this season. That’s because the Knicks hadn’t hit town before last night.
With one furious right-handed windmill jam in the third quarter, Carter put the dramatic capper on last night’s 114-91 Raptors rout of the Knicks at Air Canada Centre.
As Carter earned a standing ovation, the Knicks went back to square one. Their defense was despicable, reverting to early-season form, letting Raptors bench guys Matt Bonner and Milt Palacio look like All-Stars.
Apparently, the Knicks, 1-5 on the road, couldn’t handle the intoxicating success of being in first place in the Atlantic Division for 24 hours. Or perhaps they lost their defensive posture passing Canadian customs.
“I’m surprised we came out as flat as we did,” said Lenny Wilkens, back in his old haunt and seeing his current team fall behind by as many as 27 points. “I didn’t think our intensity was there. It showed in our defense and they took advantage. They played great. We didn’t have movement offensively or defensively.”
Carter finished with 22 points, making 9 of 13 shots. He wants a change of scenery, has been struggling with his shot, the fans have been on him, and he’s threatened to punish them by not dunking.
But after his patented windmill off a no-look fast-break feed from Jalen Rose gave the Raptors a 24-point lead with 8:28 left in the third, the crowd rose to cheer Carter, evoking sweet laughter.
“They enjoy highlights, I guess,” Carter said. “It doesn’t matter who it is.”
For nine days, the Knicks buckled down defensively, but all the progress got burned in the oven on Thanksgiving Eve. The Knicks, who fell one game below .500 (5-6), get another chance at the Raptors this Saturday at the Garden.
“It was definitely one of those nights; those guys came home and definitely destroyed us,” said Stephon Marbury, who had 25 points and eight assists, and tried unsuccessfully to track Carter in a cross-match. “We didn’t play with a sense of urgency.”
The only Knick to show up was Nazr Mohammed, a beast inside, cleaning the glass for 25 points and 14 boards (seven offensive). Jamal Crawford played his worst game as a Knick, shooting 3-of-14 for seven points, committing three turnovers and collecting one assist. Crawford got flagged for palming, a violation called once a millennium.
The Knicks allowed the Raptors to shoot 64 percent by intermission and lead 63-48. Palacio (18 points) and Bonner (12) each finished shooting 6-of-9 from the field.
The Raptors, who regained first place, did whatever they wanted from the opening minutes, when center Loren Woods tipped in an alley-oop off a Rafer Alston lob.
“They made a lot of jump shots,” Penny Hardaway said. “Once their starters started making jump shots, their bench started making jump shots. And we started to settle for jump shots.”
Throughout the first-quarter malaise, despite the Knicks’ defensive doldrums, Wilkens didn’t make a substitution until 56.2 seconds remained in the period, Hardaway for Tim Thomas.
Bonner scored on three straight possessions, first taking it to the hole for a runner down the right side of the lane over Michael Sweetney. Then Bonner got open looks from the left side and buried two straight jumpers.
How insane was this? The Knicks were shooting 56.7 percent midway through the second quarter and were down 15 points.