The Toronto Raptors defeated the New York Knicks, 116-101, at Air Canada Centre on Sunday.
The Knicks (18-23) found themselves without star power forward Kristaps Porzingis for a second consecutive game due to his sore Achilles, and his absence seemed to make a considerable difference, particularly in the middle portion of the game. After hanging tough with the Raptors (27-13) through the first period, New York saw their hosts outscore them by a whopping 69-38 margin over the second and third quarters. Toronto was particularly dominant coming out of the halftime locker room, as they blasted their visitors by a 27-8 spread in the third quarter. The Raptors were able to shoot an impressive 49.4 percent from the field overall, while seeing three players eclipse the 20-point mark.
The Knicks were led by Carmelo Anthony’s 18 points, although he was only able to add a rebound and an assist to his stat line. Justin Holiday was the second-leading scorer for the Knicks and accomplished the distinction from the bench, as he totaled 17 points, three rebounds, an assist and a steal over 26 minutes. Derrick Rose was next with 16 points, three assists, two rebounds and a block. Joakim Noah notably contributed just one point but did haul in eight boards. Lance Thomas had to exit the contest after just two minutes as a result of an elbow to the face. Mindaugas Kuzminskas provided nine points, two rebounds and an assist in 23 minutes off the bench in his stead.
DeMar DeRozan paced the Raptors with 23 points, five rebounds and five assists. Norman Powell was right behind him with an impressive performance off the bench, posting 21 points, a rebound and a steal over 24 minutes. DeMarre Carroll went for 20 points, two boards, two steals and a block. Jonas Valanciunas chipped in with a 12-point, 16-rebound double-double that also included an assist. Terrence Ross got in the act as well, generating 12 points, two rebounds and an assist in 23 minutes.
The Knicks head back home to face off with the Atlanta Hawks on Monday afternoon, while the Raptors head to New York to take on the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday evening.
