Karl-Anthony Towns delivered a dominant performance with 27 points and 20 rebounds. In comparison, Jalen Brunson scored 28 points as the New York Knicks held off the Toronto Raptors 121-115 on Tuesday night, securing their eighth consecutive victory over their division rivals.
Mikal Bridges and Precious Achiuwa each contributed 17 points, and Josh Hart added 15 as all five Knicks starters finished in double figures. New York has now won eight of its last 10 games.
Towns nearly accounted for half of New York’s 43 total rebounds, continuing his strong presence on the glass. The veteran big man has recorded multiple 22-rebound games this season and once grabbed a career-high 27 boards against New Orleans in 2019.
Scottie Barnes led the Raptors with 23 points, while rookie Jamal Shead recorded a career-high 16. Toronto played without leading scorer RJ Barrett, who entered concussion protocol after playing through a hard fall in Sunday’s win over the Clippers. The Raptors also lost center Jakob Poeltl, who exited at halftime with a right hip injury after logging five points and two rebounds in 15 minutes.
Takeaways
Knicks: Former Raptor OG Anunoby did not suit up against his old team, missing his second straight game with a sprained right foot.
Raptors: Barrett initially remained in the lineup after a tough fall on Sunday, practicing on Monday before concussion symptoms surfaced later in the evening.
Key Moment
Toronto rallied from a 23-point deficit and came within one, trailing 112-111 with 3:17 remaining in the fourth quarter. However, Brunson iced the game with a clutch pull-up three-pointer with 26 seconds left to keep the Knicks in control.
Key Stat
Towns dominated early, recording 20 points and 15 rebounds in the first half—more than the entire Raptors team, which managed just 12 rebounds in the opening two quarters.
Up Next
Toronto will host the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night, while the Knicks return home for a showdown against the Boston Celtics on Saturday.
