New York Knicks Use Second Half Surge to Cruise to Victory Over Toronto Raptors
Fresh off a decisive victory against the Sacramento Kings yesterday, the New York Knicks handily defeated the Toronto Raptors in a 119-92 final to notch their fourth straight win and move to 29-18 on the season.
Knick’s Starters Explode on Offense in Blowout Win
It was an offensive masterclass by the Knicks’ starting five tonight, as the Raptors simply could not stop New York’s red-hot offense in the second half. The Knicks would shoot 50% from the field and knock down 14 triples, with three starters scoring over 20 points in the win. Knicks star Mikal Bridges would carry the scoring load for New York tonight, as he finished with 30 points on a highly efficient 12-for-15 shooting from the floor. Meanwhile, OG Anunoby would wreak havoc on both sides of the floor tonight, as the former Raptor dropped 26 points and nabbed six steals in the win.
The only two disappointing performances for the Knicks tonight, surprisingly, came from their two best players in Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns. Brunson would finish with just 13 points on 5-13 shooting while also committing four fouls and four turnovers. Towns wouldn’t do much better as he scored eight points on 3-11 shooting from the floor, marking his second game this month where he has been held under 10 points. However, Towns would make up for the lackluster offensive performance by grabbing a game-high 22 rebounds in a monster performance on the glass.
Raptors Get Sparse Production on Offense
While the Knicks’ starters were putting on a show in the second half, the Raptors’ own starting five would be unable to keep pace in the loss. Toronto would finish the night shooting poorly from all over the floor, as they shot just 27% from three-point range and 38% overall in an uneven performance on offense. The Raptors would get a couple of good performances from both Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram in the loss. Barnes would notch a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Ingram would finish with a team-high 27 points, as both players provided the bulk of the Raptors’ offensive production tonight.
The rims would not be so kind to other Raptors players such as RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley. Both players would shoot a combined 6-for-22 from the floor, with Quickley scoring just seven points and Barrett finishing with 13 points in an overall bad showing from each player. The Raptors’ offense would struggle in terms of turnovers, alongside the team’s poor shooting, as Toronto committed 20 turnovers, which led to 20 easy transition points for the Knicks.
Knicks Ascend Back Up the Eastern Conference Standings
After starting the New Year on a less-than-stellar note, the Knicks are quietly back in business atop the Eastern Conference standings following tonight’s win. New York is now tied for second place with the Boston Celtics as both teams sit at 29-18 entering the final days of January. The Knicks sat as low as the 4th seed before this recent win streak has catapulted them back up.
As for the Raptors, this loss snapped their current four-game winning streak, as Toronto has looked very competitive this past month. Thankfully, the Raptors, this loss doesn’t change their current position in the jam-packed middle portion of the conference standings. Toronto is now tied with the Cleveland Cavaliers for 4th place, as they now sit at 29-20 through the midway point of the 2025-26 NBA season.
