Knicks at Raptors
Carmelo Anthony is back and the New York Knicks suddenly have a small winning streak going as they head to Toronto on Friday for the first half of a home-and-home set with the Raptors. Anthony scored 21 points after missing three games with a knee injury as the Knicks topped Orlando 106-94 on Wednesday. The victory kept New York one game up on Brooklyn in the race for the Atlantic Division title, a crown the Knicks have not worn since 1994.
One of the teams New York has not been able to solve is Toronto, which has won the first two meetings this season and three in a row overall. The Raptors defeated the Knicks 92-88 at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 13 and scored a two-point win in a rematch at Air Canada Centre nine days later. Those victories came as Toronto was making a bit of a charge in the East, but it is just 3-9 ever since after a 107-101 loss to Charlotte on Wednesday.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, MSG (New York), Sportsnet One (Toronto)
ABOUT THE KNICKS (40-26): Anthony signaled his return with a 3-pointer just seconds into the win over the Magic. With it New York seemed to rediscover its potent perimeter game. The Knicks made 15-of-34 (44.1 percent) 3-pointers in the effort. They hit only 33 percent in their previous five games, during which coach Mike Woodson's team was 1-4. Woodon called Anthony's early 3 a "big relief," as it let him know that his team could find its identity again amid a rash of injuries. Swingman Iman Shumpert left the game with a knee injury in the first half, but has been cleared to play against Toronto.
ABOUT THE RAPTORS (26-42): Rudy Gay had 25 points in the setback at lowly Charlotte, which saw Toronto race to an early 11-point lead before getting outplayed for the bulk of the contest. "I think we thought the game was going to be easy," coach Dwane Casey told reporters. "Typical NBA game where the shots were falling and it started going easy so we kind of relaxed a little bit." With the loss, the Raptors' already slim chances at ending a four-year playoff drought took another hit. They enter this one trailing Milwaukee by 8 1/2 games in the race for the final playoff spot in the East.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The streaky Gay has recently established a bit of consistency. He is averaging 26.6 points on 55.6 percent shooting in his last three games and has made 21 straight free throws.
2. With C Tyson Chandler sidelined for another week or so, PF Kenyon Martin is getting a bump in minutes for New York. He shot 5-for-6 in 28 solid minutes against Orlando.
3. Anthony has been limited to 22 points, more than five below his average, on 33 percent shooting in the first two games against Toronto.
PREDICTION: Knicks 108, Raptors 103