NBA: Knicks close out Raptors late to extend series win streak to 12

Jalen Brunson scored 26 points and added 10 assists Tuesday night to lead the visiting New York Knicks to a 111-95 victory over the Toronto Raptors.

The Knicks have now won all four games against the Raptors this season and extended their overall winning streak against Toronto to 12 games. New York closed out the contest on a 16-2 run to secure the decisive win.

Former Raptors forward OG Anunoby contributed 15 points, while Karl-Anthony Towns posted a double-double with 21 points and 12 rebounds. Josh Hart and Landry Shamet added 12 points each, and Mikal Bridges chipped in 11 points.

For the Raptors, Brandon Ingram scored 26 of his 31 points in the first half. Former Knick RJ Barrett added 20 points, and Scottie Barnes tallied 14. Another former New York player, Immanuel Quickley, contributed 13 points and 12 assists.

The Knicks held a five-point lead entering the fourth quarter, but Quickley's floater cut the margin to two with 5:50 remaining. Bridges’ cutting dunk gave New York a four-point advantage with 4:37 left, sparking a 9-0 run. The Knicks extended the lead to 11 points on Hart’s layup off a 3-on-1 break with 1:53 to go. Brunson capped the scoring with a three-point play, putting New York ahead by 14 with 1:06 remaining.

New York opened the game with a strong first-quarter finish, closing with a 15-4 run to lead 32-31. The momentum carried into the second quarter, as Anunoby’s 3-pointer and Towns’ layup helped extend the lead. Toronto responded with six straight points to tie the game at 37, but the Knicks’ tightened defense fueled a 13-2 run, giving New York an 11-point advantage with 6:51 left in the second.

Mohamed Diawara’s step-back 3-pointer pushed the lead to 13 before Toronto’s 7-0 run cut it to six. New York led 68-58 at halftime, shooting 68.3% (28 of 41) from the field compared to Toronto’s 50% (21 of 42).

Toronto came out more physical in the third quarter, with Quickley hitting a step-back 3-pointer to trim the lead to two with 7:41 remaining. The Knicks responded with a 7-0 burst, highlighted by Shamet’s 3-pointer. Barnes’ alley-oop dunk capped an 8-0 Toronto run, bringing the Raptors within two points with 59 seconds left in the quarter. New York led 87-82 going into the final period.

The Knicks’ balanced attack and late-game surge ensured the victory, reinforcing their dominance over Toronto this season.

—Field Level Media/Reuters