Knicks rout Raptors 112–95
The New York Knicks beat the Toronto Raptors 112–95 at Madison Square Garden on Friday, a win that nudged Toronto down the Eastern standings and tightened late‑season seeding scenarios. (si.com)
New York didn’t just beat Toronto on Friday night. The Knicks won 112–95 at Madison Square Garden, locked up the Eastern Conference’s No. 3 seed at 53–28, and extended their winning streak over the Raptors to 13 straight games. (nba.com) (apnews.com) The game turned in the second quarter. New York won that period 29–15 after leading by only 22–21 at the end of the first, which is how a one-point game became a 15-point halftime cushion. (espn.com) Jalen Brunson was the engine again. He scored 29 points on 12-for-18 shooting, and Karl-Anthony Towns added 22 points with 10 rebounds for his double-double. (apnews.com) (espn.com) Toronto got 17 points and 8 rebounds from Sandro Mamukelashvili off the bench, while Brandon Ingram scored 16 and Scottie Barnes finished with 15. That was not enough against a Knicks team that scored 58 points in the paint and shot more cleanly all night. (realgm.com) (espn.com) The standings squeeze is the part that changes the picture. After Friday’s games, the East had Atlanta at 46–35 in fifth, Toronto at 45–36 in sixth, Orlando at 45–36 in seventh, and Philadelphia at 44–37 in eighth with one regular-season day left. (nba.com) (espn.com) That means Toronto’s loss did two things at once. It kept the Raptors out of the play-in for the moment by holding sixth place, but it also erased their margin for error because Orlando was level in the loss column and Philadelphia was one game back. (nba.com) (espn.com) New York’s side of the bracket got simpler. By clinching No. 3, the Knicks guaranteed a first-round series against the No. 6 seed instead of spending Sunday scoreboard-watching with Cleveland, which sat fourth at 51–30 before the last day. (apnews.com) (espn.com) The wrinkle is that Toronto could still be that opponent. The Knicks swept the season series 4–0, and Friday’s result was the latest reminder that this matchup has been one-way traffic for more than a year. (nydailynews.com) (apnews.com) Sunday closes the loop. Toronto hosts Brooklyn, New York hosts Charlotte, and the Raptors enter that final game needing a win and help nowhere else if they want to stay out of the SoFi Play-In Tournament entirely. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2)
