Expand / Collapse search
Watch TV
Menu

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2024 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper.

Sports

Raptors tangle with Knicks at MSG

By Sports Network
Published | Updated

(SportsNetwork.com) - The Toronto Raptors will pay a visit to the New York Knicks Sunday at Madison Square Garden.

The Raptors are 6-3 on the road and have won four of their last six games, including Friday's 106-94 triumph at home versus the Indiana Pacers. Lou Williams scored 26 points off the bench and the Toronto reserves tallied a season-high 64 points.

Toronto is 5-0 when Williams has 20-plus points.

James Johnson and Greivis Vasquez scored 13 and 10 points, respectively, off the bench and Patrick Patterson added 11 in a reserve role. Jonas Valanciunas led the starters with 10 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, while Kyle Lowry posted nine points for the Raptors.

"I thought our defensive effort was there tonight. We played great defense," said Vasquez.

The Raptors outrebounded Indiana 52-39 and are 4-3 without star guard DeMar DeRozan (groin). They sit second in the NBA with 108.4 points per game and have a 10-1 mark against teams with a record below .500.

Lowry is averaging 21.0 points and 10.0 assists in December.

The Knicks ended a 10-game slide with Friday's 101-95 win at Boston in the conclusion of a three-game road trip (1-2).

Rumors of in-house fighting between players and problems with first-year head coach Derek Fisher filled the headlines during New York's skid, but the team was able to stick together. Carmelo Anthony allegedly had issues with reserve guard Tim Hardaway Jr. and scored 22 points.

Amare Stoudemire had 20 points and Hardaway ended with 16 for the Knicks, who shot 49.4 percent and won for the first time since Nov. 22 versus Philly.

"We had the will to win tonight. A total team win," said Anthony, who missed Wednesday's loss against San Antonio with a lingering knee issue.

New York is back home for two straight versus Toronto and Dallas, and has a 3-9 record at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks have lost four in a row at home.

In injury news for the Knicks, guard J.R. Smith (foot) is questionable Sunday and guard Iman Shumpert (shoulder dislocation) is out. Shumpert suffered the injury against the Celtics and Smith will be listed as day-to-day if he does not play Sunday.

"For us to lose another guy on our team, it's another blow to us," Anthony told the New York Post. "Guys stepped up big time in place of Shump and we're going to need that regardless if J.R. is playing, Shump is playing or I'm playing. We are going to need guys to step up."

The Knicks are scoring just 94.0 ppg this season and will need to boost that number in order to stay competitive with high-scoring Toronto. The Knicks and Raptors will play the first of four meetings this evening, and the Atlantic foes split four games last season.

DeRozan will be missed Sunday and he posted an average of 20.0 points, 4.5 boards and 3.0 assists in four games against the Knicks in 2013-14. Anthony played in only one game and posted 30 points and eight rebounds.