Fortunately for New York, a loss that was more or less expected wasn't really a big deal.
After all, the team's goal this season wasn't to finish first in the Eastern Conference or make it to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Getting off to a seven-game winning streak and briefly tying the Nets for first in the East had already been a delightful surprise.
At least... that was what the coaching staff and front office thought.
After their game against the Suns, the Knicks got two days off.
During that time, they returned to New York and used the break to prepare for their next tough opponent.
November 4, 5:30 p.m.
The New York Knicks hosted the Toronto Raptors.
117–116.
The Knicks edged out the Raptors by one point, successfully defending their home court and keeping their home record unbeaten in the new season.
Toronto was no pushover.
After trading away DeRozan and Lowry, they officially entered a rebuilding phase. It didn't take long for them to put together a roster built around Siakam and Anunoby.
With Poeltl, Schroder, Kuzma, and other "quality role players" rounding out the lineup,
they had put together a team with a respectable level of competitiveness.
But the same old problem remained.
The issue Toronto had been unable to solve in recent years was that, in the game's crucial moments, they still lacked a genuine star who could deliver the decisive blow.
They had a group of quality role players, but no budding superstar capable of taking on the role of franchise centerpiece.
Tonight's game was no different.
Once the game came down to the wire, Chen Xi's presence became Toronto's biggest problem.
And Chen came through as expected, turning the Raptors into another classic backdrop on his home court.
With just 12 seconds left, he