Raptors fall to Knicks
Toronto lost 112–95 to the New York Knicks, a defeat that leaves the Raptors' postseason hopes in a more precarious spot heading into the final stretch. (Sports Illustrated reported the 112–95 score and framed the result as one that affects Toronto’s remaining outlook.) (si.com)
Toronto took a 112-95 loss to New York on April 10, and the defeat dropped the Raptors deeper into the Eastern Conference seeding scramble. (nba.com) Jalen Brunson scored 29 points, Karl-Anthony Towns added 22 points and 10 rebounds, and New York clinched the East’s No. 3 seed at Madison Square Garden. (nba.com) The Knicks beat Toronto for a 13th straight time, improved to 53-28, and outscored the Raptors 58-48 in the paint. Toronto fell to 45-36. (nba.com) (espn.com) Toronto entered the final weekend still fighting for playoff position in the East, not for a top seed but for where it would open the postseason. Sports Illustrated reported the loss moved the Raptors down in the conference picture. (si.com) That mattered immediately because the regular season ended two days later, on April 12, and the bracket tightened across the conference. By April 18, ESPN’s schedule listed Toronto opening a first-round series at Cleveland. (espn.com) The game also showed how thin Toronto’s margin was against a locked-in playoff team. NBA.com listed Sandro Mamukelashvili as the Raptors’ top scorer with 17 points, while Towns led New York’s interior offense and Brunson controlled the backcourt. (nba.com) For New York, the result closed the regular-season race at the top of its bracket. For Toronto, it turned the last stretch from a chance to climb into a fight to avoid sliding further before the playoffs began. (nba.com) (si.com) The final score did not end Toronto’s season, but it did fix the terms of it: a lower slot, a tougher path, and a postseason that started on the road. (espn.com)
