Knicks look to right the ship as they take on the Raptors

Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks
Jan 9, 2023; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) drives to the basket in front of Milwaukee Bucks guard Jevon Carter (5) during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Knicks’ streaky season continues as they look to snap a three-game losing streak on Sunday when they take on the Toronto Raptors on the road.

This is the third time this month that the Knicks and Raptors will have played against one another and the fourth time overall this season. The Knicks are 1-2 this season against the Raptors.

The Knicks have continued to struggle to win games on their home floor, as their last two games at Madison Square Garden were losses. Despite losing their last game against the Atlanta Hawks, a game in which was on the road, they are still 14-9 away from their home floor, so this would be the best time for them to turn the tide.

The Knicks will play revenge game after tough loss to Toronto last week:

In the last matchup between these two teams on Jan. 16, they played an overtime thriller full of dramatics and excitement from both sides.

Unfortunately, the Knicks were unable to capitalize on their momentum swing entering overtime and lost 123-121 after Jalen Brunson missed a game-winning three-point shot at the buzzer.

The Knicks are clearly still feeling the effects of that gut-punching loss, as they lost their next two games after the game against Toronto and have dropped back down to seventh seed in the Eastern Conference.

Therefore, Sunday’s game serves as a revenge game for New York, but they will have to do it without their defensive anchor Mitchell Robinson. The Raptors run a big lineup that mostly consists of tall and athletic wings and bugs, so the Knicks may need to do some improvising to keep up with guys like Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby, and Scottie Barnes.

That improvising could mean that we see some time of Julius Randle playing center or RJ Barrett at power forward for some stretches, but that all remains to be seen.

The Raptors are struggling as of late:

The Raptors come into this game having lost three consecutive games and have slipped down to 12th in the East. The Knicks also have a rest advantage in this game, as the Raptors will be playing Sunday’s game on the second half of a back-to-back.

With all things considered, the Knicks should be viewed as the favorites in this one, given their successes on the road as well as the Raptors recent trends.

Sunday’s game holds more significance than one may think, as following this game, six of the Knicks’ next seven contests will be against teams that are .500 or better and could be a stretch that defines their path the rest of the way.

Looking at injuries, the Knicks have Immanuel Quickley (sore knee) listed as questionable. For the Raptors, OG Anunoby (right ankle soreness) and Fred VanVleet (right rib soreness) are also questionable.

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