Toronto Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic acknowledged the challenges his team faced in Tuesday night’s 117-101 loss to the New York Knicks in the NBA Cup quarterfinal at Scotiabank Arena.
Rajakovic noted the team started well, moving the ball and finding open shots, but said Jalen Brunson’s hot first half “caught fire early in the game” and gave New York a lead they would not relinquish.
He emphasized the impact of missed opportunities, stating, “It just ended up with missing shots, missing layups, and that very quickly led to their transition points on the other side.” Rajakovic cited the second quarter as the turning point where the Knicks pulled away.
The Raptors were missing RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley, forcing young players to adapt. Rajakovic described it as a “great learning opportunity” for contributors like Chucky Hepburn and AJ Lawson.
Regarding Jakob Poeltl, Rajakovic said the forward’s movement was limited by a flare-up of back issues and noted he has “not rhythm, he’s not himself yet.” He stressed that recovery and upcoming practice would be key to regaining form.
Poeltl and other depth players struggled with rhythm throughout the game. Rajakovic highlighted that ball movement was solid, citing 28 assists, but said “the rhythm to get a rebound, not to turn the ball over in transition” remains a work in progress.
Despite the loss, Rajakovic remained focused on learning from the experience. “Motivation itself is not enough to win games like this. You need to execute the game plan and know exactly what we need to do,” he said.
He praised the team’s competitive spirit throughout, noting they “played against a better team tonight” and underscored the importance of discipline and execution.
Rajakovic concluded by pointing out the educational value of the matchup: “There is a lot of great lessons for us from this game to take in and learn,” emphasizing that facing a strong opponent like the Knicks can help the Raptors grow ahead of the next NBA Cup rounds.
Toronto will look to regroup before visiting the Miami Heat on Monday, aiming to halt a four-game losing streak at home. New York, meanwhile, advances to face Orlando in the semifinals in Las Vegas on Saturday.
