Jurassic Spark: Randle, Knicks Handle Raptors For 4th Straight Win
It literally took officials' interference to stop Julius Randle on Friday night against the Toronto Raptors.
Randle wasted no time in making an impact at Scotiabank Arena, hitting five of his first six attempts from the field over the first 5:17 of game time. With each sunk from three-point range, Randle sank another that originally served as a sixth, tying a New York Knicks record for most in a quarter.
Though the last tally was later ruled as two and pushing Randle back to five, the Knicks' leading scorer's early showcase set the tone for their visit up north: New York took a lead with just over 45 minutes remaining and never relinquished it despite the Raptors' efforts to chip away, eventually prevailing in a 112-108 final in Ontario.
Randle was denied history of the 12-minute variety, but the Knicks (22-18) nonetheless managed to end a dubious record: Friday marked their first win in Toronto since November 2015, having dropped 11 consecutive road contests against their divisional rivals (including one in Tampa in Dec. 2020).
Each of the Knicks' five starters reached double figures in a diverse scoring effort: Jalen Brunson put in 26 points and eight assists while Mitchell Robinson had 10 to go with 18 rebounds, the latter being his best haul since a season-best 20 on Nov. 30 against Milwaukee. Quentin Grimes and Immanuel Quickley had 16 and 13 respectively.
The Knicks led by double-figures over the latter half of the second quarter, the advantage reaching as high as 17. That lead shrank to 10 by the halftime break and to as little as three after the third period, even as New York held its old adversary in check: Pascal Siakam, scorer of a career-high 52 in the two sides' last meeting on Dec. 21 (a game that ended an eight-game winning streak for the Knicks) had only nine points through three quarters before matching that output in the fourth.
Primarily sparked by four quick points from Quickley, an 8-0 run re-established the Knicks' double-figure lead, which proved mostly sustainable until Toronto (16-23) embarked on a late run sparked by both Fred VanVleet and Gary Trent Jr., the Raptors' respective scoring leaders at 28 and 27. The latter sank a triple in the final minute with 42 seconds to go, narrowing the gap to two.
But Brunson, scorer of 10 points over the final 12, secured the victory with a driving lay-up and drew a successful and-one opportunity, putting the visitors up five with the shot clocks turned off. It was enough to withstand another double from Trent before the run officially ended with another Brunson free throw and missed Scottie Barnes lay-up that created the final margin.
Friday marked the first of three meetings between the Knicks and Raptors over the next two-plus weeks. Toronto visits Manhattan on Jan. 16 for a matinee on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
In the meantime, consecutive games at Madison Square Garden now await the Knicks, who welcome in the aforementioned Milwaukee Bucks on Monday night (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG).
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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