The New York Knicks ended their three-game losing streak and are back in the win column, as they defeated the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday by a score of 112-98. New York improves to 25-13 on the season while the Raptors fall to 8-29.
Karl-Anthony Towns was brilliant in his return
Karl-Anthony Towns missed the last game with a knee issue, but he returned in this game against the Raptors and did not miss a beat.
The big man recorded another double-double with 27 points and 13 rebounds. He was incredibly efficient as well, as he shot 9-for-14 from the floor and 3-for-3 from three. Towns was perfect in the first half with 15 points on 5-for-5 shooting.
Towns was also exceptional on defense, as he recorded three steals and two blocks. He was a +25 on the night as well and gave the Knicks great energy on both ends of the floor at a time when they really needed it from him.
The game didn’t come without any injury scare, as Towns was seen grabbing his injured knee after throwing down a dunk early in the first quarter. However, it would appear that it had no impact on his game as he cruised his way to yet another dominant performance.
OG Anunoby was prolific against his former team
Playing against his former team, OG Anunoby put on a clinic on both ends of the floor. He scored 27 points on 8-for-13 shooting from the floor and 4-for-6 from three.
Anunoby had two steals and a block to go along with his tally and showcased his versatility once again as he was highly impactful in the Knicks’ win. The shooting improvement was key for him, as he along with the rest of the team had been struggling mightily from three before Wednesday.
The Knicks snapped out of their shooting slump against Toronto
The past several games have been a struggle for the Knicks on the shooting front, but they were efficient against the Raptors all around.
New York shot 47.7% from the floor and 36.4% from three. They knocked down 12 threes, which is the first time in five games that they made at least 10 three-pointers.
The Knicks needed a shooting performance like this, as their shooting woes were contributing largely to their losing streak. In their previous game against the Orlando Magic, they shot just 4-for-22 from three and had a stretch where they missed 15 threes in a row. They improved in a big way against Toronto with the hope that it will carry over into their next set of games.
Overview
The Knicks got a much-needed bounce-back win against a bad Raptors team, but they still have to prove that they can beat a more formidable opponent. They will have that opportunity in their next game on Friday when the Oklahoma City Thunder come to New York to play the Knicks at Madison Square Garden.