The Toronto Raptors tried, and tried and tried some more, but in the end — as it’s been all season — they had nothing for a Knicks team they could see in the first round of the playoffs.
The Knicks, save for some frenetic Raptors rallies from down double-digits, weathered an early storm and ultimately ran away with a 111-95 victory in Toronto on Tuesday.
The Knicks have completed a 4-0 season series sweep over the Raptors. They have beaten Toronto by 22, 16, 27 and now 16 points this season. And Tuesday’s win moved the Raptors just one game ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers for the Eastern Conference’s No. 6 seed.
If the Knicks retain the East’s No. 3 seed entering the playoffs, they face No. 6 in the first round.
For the 11th time in the last 19 games, the Knicks have held an opponent under 100 points. They closed the Raptors on 16-2 run and held Toronto to just 13 points in the fourth quarter and 37 second-half points after allowing 31 in the first quarter alone.
“Holding each other accountable. We have a goal in mind. We’re striving every day for that goal. There’s gonna be days where we take steps back. There’s gonna be days where we take steps forward,” said Jalen Brunson. “It’s all about how we trust each other and stick with each other. I know that sounds like a bunch of BS but it’s important for us to stick together.”
Tuesday marked the Knicks’ third straight game with all five starters scoring in double figures. Coincidentally, Brunson finished with 26 points and 10 assists on the night.
The Knicks watched substantial leads evaporate into single-digit affairs twice in the second half on Tuesday. On both occasions, the Knicks rallied with a response shifting the momentum back into their favor.
The Knicks led by 13 at the 2:55 mark of the second quarter. The Raptors cut the deficit down to just two by the 7:41 mark of the third period. The Knicks immediately responded with a 9-1 run before the Raptors made it a two-point game entering the fourth quarter. And the Knicks built a seven-point lead at the 8:31 mark of the fourth before the Raptors, once again, made it a two-point game two-and-a-half minutes later.
“It started with stops. I think it’s always big-time when you hold a team to 100 points, especially a team like that that plays so fast, gets downhill and creates opportunities for each other,” said Jalen Brunson. “They’ve been playing great all year, and in that fourth quarter, we found a way to string some stops together.”
RJ Barrett scored 20 points on 9-of-13 shooting from the field, and Immanuel Quickley added 13 points but struggled on 4-of-13 shooting from the field. The pair of former Knicks were packaged together in the Dec. 2023 trade that netted OG Anunoby. In another game back at Scotiabank Arena, Anunoby finished with 15 points on five-of-six shooting from the field.
Anunoby entered Tuesday’s matchup averaging 20.8 points on 57% shooting from the field over six games against the team that selected him 23rd overall in the 2017 NBA Draft. The Knicks have won 10 straight games against the Raptors since the Anunoby deal.
INJURY SCARES
Mitchell Robinson grabbed his surgically repaired left ankle in the first half. Josh Hart grabbed at his abdomen in the third quarter. Mikal Bridges and Jose Alvarado each took a shot to the face against the Raptors, as officials allowed a physical style of play on both ends of the floor most of the night. Plus Karl-Anthony Towns was slow to get to his feet after barreling into a cameraman on a drive to the rim late in regulation.
The Knicks are now off to a 2-0 start to their five-game swing against playoff competition. Next up, they host the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder in the second leg of a back-to-back on Wednesday. Robinson is expected to sit against the Thunder due to load management.
