The New York Knicks (25-22, 14-9 Away), one of the NBA’s top shooting defenses, head to face the Toronto Raptors (20-27, 14-12 Home) on Sunday. New York dropped their last game against the Atlanta Hawks 139-124 at State Farm Arena on Friday, their third loss in a row.
Julius Randle had a standout performance in the loss with 32 points, nine rebounds, and six assists. The Knicks are sixth in the Eastern Conference. Toronto is playing the second of a back-to-back after losing their third in a row in a close one yesterday at Scotiabank Arena, falling to the Boston Celtics 106-104.
Pascal Siakam had 29 points, 10 assists, and nine rebounds in the loss to lead the team. The Raptors are the 11th seed in the Eastern Conference. The teams are meeting for the final time this season. New York will be looking to even the season series after getting the win in only one of the three earlier meetings.
Toronto won the most recent showdown 123-121 in overtime at Madison Square Garden on Monday. Fred VanVleet led the Raptors with 33 points and eight assists.
RJ Barrett had 32 points and seven rebounds in defeat.Randle and Jalen Brunson, averaging 24.4 and 22.5 points per game, respectively, are leading the Knicks in scoring this season.
Randle also has grabbed 10.7 rebounds per game, seventh-most in the NBA, while Brunson has dished 6.3 assists per game. Siakam (25.2 ppg) has supplied much of the Raptors’ offense.
Siakam has also posted 8.2 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game. Holding foes to only 45.2% from the field, the Knicks are one of the NBA’s toughest FG% defenses (3rd).
The Knicks have not found much success at Scotiabank Arena in recent seasons, losing nine of the last 10 visits. Meanwhile, the Raptors are 2-5 this season when playing on consecutive nights and 1-2 in such games against rested opponents.
In the last 10 games, New York is 6-4 with an average margin of +1.7 (113.6-111.9). Toronto has a 4-6 record over the last 10, scoring 116.0 points per game on average while allowing 115.4 (+0.6 margin).
KNICKS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Obi Toppin: 6.4 | 11.1 | -4.7
Rebounds per game:
Julius Randle: 14.0 | 10.7 | +3.3
RAPTORS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Precious Achiuwa: 20.0 | 15.3 | +4.7
OG Anunoby: 17.2 | 25.1 | -7.9
Points per game:
Fred VanVleet: 25.0 | 18.9 | +6.1
OG Anunoby: 11.2 | 17.4 | -6.2
SportsTips’ NBA Pick:
Toronto Raptors (-110)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.