The Knicks defeated the Toronto Raptors 117-101 on Tuesday night in their NBA Cup Quarterfinals matchup.
New York has booked a trip to Las Vegas for the NBA Cup Semifinals for the first time.
Here are some takeaways…
– Both teams came into this Quarterfinal matchup shorthanded — the Knicks were without Miles McBride as he undergoes further testing on his ankle injury, and Toronto was without former Knicks RJ Barrett (knee) and Immanuel Quickley (illness).
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– You wanted high-flying NBA Cup action? You got it. Both teams had their scoring touch going early in this one, shooting a combined 61 percent from the field in a back-and-forth opening frame that ended with Toronto leading by four.
Jalen Brunson was once again leading the charge offensively for New York, knocking down all but two of his nine shots for a season-high 20 points over the first 12 minutes. Brandon Ingram did a nice job of matching him for the Raptors, putting up 17 points of his own on an efficient 6-of-7 shooting from the field.
– The Knicks kept their hot scoring going and stepped up defensively to take things over in the second. Karl-Anthony Towns‘ monstrous jam helped them open the first double-digit lead of the game, and they outscored Toronto 34-13 to lead by 17 points heading into the halftime break.
Brunson still had just two misses on 12 attempts and Towns chipped in 10 points and nine rebounds.
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– New York kept things rolling coming out of the locker room with Josh Hart leading the charge, putting up the team’s first nine points of the third quarter. Hart quietly had a terrific first half, and his surge raised his total to 18 points on the night on a perfect 7-for-7 from the field and 3-for-3 from three over his first 19 minutes of action.
The Raptors found their footing and put together a mini run, but still trailed by 15 heading into the final frame.
– New York’s offense continued rolling, and Hart’s fourth three of the night made it a 20-point game early in the fourth. Toronto showed some fight down the stretch, but the Knicks ultimately never looked back, as they booked their ticket to the Semifinals with the 16-point victory.
Brunson finished with a game-high 35 points, Hart had a season-high 21, Mikal Bridges chipped in 15, Towns piled up 14 and 17 boards, Anunoby had 13 against his former team, and Jordan Clarkson bounced back with 12 off the bench.
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– The Knicks have now won 10 consecutive games against the Raptors, stretching back to Dec. 2023.
– New York pushed their winning streak to four, and they are 8-1 over their last nine games.
Game MVP: Brunson
The captain was terrific offensively, pacing New York’s offense and leading all scorers.
Highlights
What’s next
The Knicks head to Vegas for their Semifinal meeting with the Magic on Saturday at 5:30 p.m.
