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Knicks at Raptors: How & Who to Watch Against Dangerous Prehistoric Foe

The New York Knicks are looking to not only end their three-game losing streak but salvage their yearly quartet against the Toronto Raptors.

The New York Knicks' annual showdowns with the Toronto Raptors will need a lot of fuel to go down as one of the NBA's fiercest rivalries. While it might not be enough to fully rev up the hatred, New York has plenty of reasons to go into their latest trip up north with a little more heat.

Sunday will mark the fourth and final meeting between the Knicks and their Atlantic Division rivals, as the visitors will try to end a three-game losing streak that, in fact, began with a loss to these same Raptors six days prior. A listless performance and a heartbreaker have followed against Washington and Atlanta respectively, with Friday's 15-point loss to the Hawks seeing the Knicks waste a sterling offensive performance in the first half.

Toronto, struggling on the cusp of the Eastern Conference playoff picture, has failed to take advantage of that key victory over the Knicks: they're likewise mired in a three-game losing streak, having dropped all of their immediate follow-ups including a 106-104 heartbreaker at the hands of the Boston Celtics on Saturday.

The Knicks will look to continue the success of the road team in the matchup this year: their own win in Ontario back on Jan. 6 ended an 11-game losing streak in Canada, one dating back to 2016. Toronto, in turn, has won both of the scheduled meetings at Madison Square Garden.

What: New York Knicks (25-22) @ Toronto Raptors (20-27)

Where: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, ON

When/Watch: Sunday, 6 p.m. ET, MSG/MSG Go

Who's Favored: NYK -1.5

Keep An Eye On: Isaiah Hartenstein

It's certainly early for a supposed last stand, but Hartenstein being a New York virgin has not exempted his name from appearing in trade proposals. The backup center has endured a self-described "up-and-down" season, one where an active valley has to be losing his minutes to second-year man Jericho Sims. 

“Some stuff is out of my control, some stuff is in my control," Hartenstein said two weeks prior, per Greg Joyce of the New York Post. "There’s been good parts and bad parts, but at the end of the day, we’re doing good as a team. That’s the most important part. There’s stuff I can definitely do better than what I’m doing right now and that’s on me.”

To his point, the Knicks have tried to use Hartenstein more as a traditional center and paint spacer rather than the all-around facilitator he was last season in Los Angeles. If Hartenstein, signer of a two-year free agent deal over the offseason, has a New York future, it might be now or never if he wants to prove it, especially with Mitchell Robinson out for the next three weeks.

Raptor to Watch: O.G. Anunoby

As the Raptors' postseason hopes inch closer toward extinction ... five games out of the automatic six and two games out of the Play-In Tournament entering Sunday play ... many expect the team to embrace a full-on sale by Feb. 9's trade deadline. Anunoby is at the forefront of those discussions and bettors believe that he has a solid chance of making his way to Manhattan ... for a price, of course. 

Listed as questionable for Sunday's game due to an ankle injury, Anunoby would reportedly cost a Donovan Mitchell-style haul, per ESPN NBA insider Zach Lowe. The Knicks' hesitation in that deal is well-documented, but they'll likely do their due diligence nonetheless. Whether perhaps saving their own name from a trade or inching closer toward victory ... Anunoby has struggled against the Knicks this season but is more than capable of a scoring breakout ... members of the New York frontcourt will have to keep him in their line of Sunday sight.

Prediction

The successes of this season have been defined by the Knicks' ability to handle business and win they games they're supposed to ... especially if they're away from Madison Square Garden, for some reason. Granted a golden opportunity to steal a win on the road from the reeling Raptors, it shouldn't be much to ask for the Knicks to bring their top game tonight, especially with a dangerous stretch of schedule coming up.

Knicks 119, Raptors 107


Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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