Hornacek’s crew broken at season’s midpoint
TORONTO — The Knicks are halfway to hell.
Lance Thomas, starting for injured Kristaps Porzingis, took an elbow to the face in the opening two minutes and left for good with concussion-like symptoms and was later diagnosed in an area hospital with a broken orbital bone.
The Knicks’ headache and their broken spirit only got worse at Air Canada Centre on a sorry Sunday afternoon.
The Knicks, held to eight points in the third quarter, fell behind by 38 late in the quarter and were thoroughly humiliated by the Atlantic Division-leading Raptors, 116-101, in one of the more gruesome defensive efforts this season.
After the bench crew, led by Ron Baker and Justin Holiday, sliced the deficit to 14 in the fourth quarter, Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek made an allusion to a future lineup change. Hornacek benched the starters late in the third, partly to save them for Monday’s Martin Luther King Day matinee against the Hawks.
Asked if he was sending a message to the starters, Horn ace ks aid ,“I had to start looking at different possibilities with that group. This isn’t the first time that it has happened. We saw the second group come in there and play hard and get after it defensively and consequently they got stuff on the offensive end.’’
Asked if he’d like to see a shake-up, Carmelo Anthony said, “You’re not going to get me on that one. I’m not the coach. I don’t make that decision.’’
Hornace k’ s crew was coming off a rare victory against the Bulls, but has now dropped 10 of its last 12 games and fell to 18-23 at the season’s midpoint.
Der rick Rose, who has attacked his own team’ s defense this season, didn’t want to hear about the eightpoint third quarter when the Raptors scored in bunches and the Knicks looked to be quitting.
“Forget the third quarter, the entire game,’’ Rose said. “We let them score 69 points in one half. How do you expect to win? Everybody has to analyze what’s going on. It’s the first time [for me] being in this.’’
One day after Rose said the Knicks coach isn’t getting on the players enough for their defensive lapses, the club had plenty as the Raptors racked up 69 firsthalf points and hit 8-of-16 3-pointers.
Toronto’s starry backcourt exposed the Knicks as usual, with DeMarr DeRozan getting 23 points and five assists in 28 minutes and poi nt guard Kyle Lowry adding 16 points and nine assists.
In one of the more embarrassing 54-second spans of the season, midway through the third, the Raptors scored on three layups, with rookie center Willy Hernangomez committing two awful turnovers.
The Knicks had a 3-pointer wiped out after the fact, so technically the Raptors outscored the Knicks 21-2 to start the third quarter in building a 90-56 lead.
“We didn’t bring it in the t hi rd ,’ ’ Anthony sa i d. “It starts with us. It starts with me, the starters. We have to come out early and put this one behind us and come out with a different focus and energy and be consistent with it [Monday].’’
Already without Porzingis (Achilles soreness), the Knicks lost his replacement less than two minutes into the game when Thomas got elbowed in the head by Jonas Valanciunas, battling for a rebound. Thomas, who will miss Monday’s game, could play with a mask but may have to go through concussion protocol. He missed two games last season with a concussion.