Karl-Anthony Towns powered the New York Knicks to a 121-115 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday night with a dominant 27-point, 20-rebound performance.
Jalen Brunson led all scorers with 28 points, while Mikal Bridges and Precious Achiuwa each contributed 17. Josh Hart added 15 as all five Knicks starters finished in double figures.
New York (34-17) secured its eighth win in 10 games and extended its winning streak against Toronto to eight straight matchups. The Knicks built a 23-point lead but had to fend off a late Raptors comeback.
Scottie Barnes led Toronto (16-34) with 23 points, and rookie Jamal Shead scored a career-high 16. The Raptors played without RJ Barrett, who entered concussion protocol after initially staying in Sunday’s game against the Clippers.
Jakob Poeltl exited at halftime with a right hip injury after logging five points and two rebounds in 15 minutes. Toronto struggled early on the glass, getting outrebounded 43-34 overall.
Towns dominated the first half with 20 points and 15 rebounds, nearly matching the entire Raptors squad’s 12 total rebounds in the opening two quarters. New York capitalized on second-chance opportunities and interior scoring.
Toronto mounted a comeback in the fourth quarter, cutting the deficit to one at 112-111 with 3:17 remaining. However, Brunson drilled a clutch three-pointer with 26 seconds left to put the game out of reach.
OG Anunoby missed his second straight game for the Knicks due to a sprained right foot. Miles McBride, Cameron Payne, and Ariel Hukporti provided solid bench minutes, with Payne dishing out six assists.
Toronto’s bench kept the game competitive, with Shead, Kelly Olynyk, and Bruce Brown combining for 36 points. Olynyk pulled down nine rebounds, but the Raptors could not overcome their first-half struggles.
New York shot 50% from the field but just 32% from beyond the arc. Toronto was more efficient from three, making 37.9%, but failed to capitalize on extra possessions.
