The Knicks beat the Raptors for the 13th straight time and finished the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference
NEW YORK (AP) — Jalen Brunson scored 29 points, Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds, and the New York Knicks clinched the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference with their 13th straight win over the Toronto Raptors, 112-95 on Friday night.
The Knicks improved to 53-28 with the win in what could be a preview of a first-round playoff series. New York lost a chance to move up to No. 2 when Boston beat the lottery-bound New Orleans Pelicans, while Toronto (45-36) is currently sixth in the East after having its two-game winning streak snapped.
Announcement
Brunson shot 12 of 18 from the field while Towns was equally effective, shooting 8 of 12 for the Knicks, who extended their winning streak to five games.
New York forward OG Anunoby injured his left ankle midway through the second quarter and did not return to the game.
Brandon Ingram scored 16 points and Ja’Kobe Walter and Scottie Barnes 15 each for the Raptors, who haven’t beaten New York since Jan. 22, 2023. The Knicks have won all five meetings this season, one in the NBA Cup tournament.
A night after beating the Celtics, the Knicks jumped out to a 14-3 lead with 7:11 left to play in the first quarter and led 22-21 at the end of the period.
Announcement
New York outscored the Raptors 29-15 in the second and headed into halftime with a 51-36 lead.
The Raptors were able to cut the deficit to 66-57 with an Ingram dunk with 4:19 left in the third quarter, but Brunson sparked a 9-0 run with a 9-foot fadeaway shot and a 3-pointer to increase the lead to 75-57.
The Knicks outscored Toronto 58-48 in the paint.
After you
Raptors: Host Brooklyn on Sunday to conclude the regular season.
Knicks: They will close the regular season at home against Charlotte on Sunday.
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