Raptors at Knicks
The New York Knicks came out flat on Christmas Day, dropping a one-sided laugher to one of the NBA's best teams while their superstar sat out. The Knicks hope their post-Christmas schedule will provide better results as they entertain the Toronto Raptors on Friday night. With Carmelo Anthony nursing an ankle injury, New York looked completely overmatched, suffering a 123-94 defeat at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder to drop to 9-19 on the season.
While the Knicks continue to underwhelm entering the new year, the Raptors find themselves unlikely leaders of the dreadful Atlantic Division. Toronto asserted itself well during the first three games of its four-game road swing, earning victories over home powers Dallas and Oklahoma City before running out of gas in a 13-point loss to San Antonio. Friday marks the opener of a home-and-home series, with the return engagement going Saturday in Toronto.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, TSN2 (Toronto), MSG (New York)
ABOUT THE RAPTORS (11-15): Toronto wasn't expected to contend for the division crown at the outset of the season — but now that the Raptors have had a taste of success, they see no reason why they can't keep it going. "We can't settle," power forward Amir Johnson told the Toronto Sun following the loss to the Spurs. "We played some tough teams (on the road trip) and that is definitely a confidence boost but we want to keep going. We are definitely not happy." The Raptors are 5-3 since dealing Rudy Gay to Sacramento earlier this month.
ABOUT THE KNICKS (9-19): New York may not need any more turmoil this season — but as the losses continue to pile up, the frustration is as well. Head coach Mike Woodson has repeatedly called out backup point guard Beno Udrih for his season-long struggles; Wednesday, Udrih fired back. "It's easy to point fingers when the team loses," he told the New York Daily News. "But it comes down to, we are a team, we lose together. So I think all this stuff should be kept out of the media and not call certain people out."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The teams split four encounters last season, with each team winning once at home and once on the road.
2. Friday marks Toronto's first game against Knicks PF Andrea Bargnani, who was dealt to New York by the Raptors prior to the season.
3. New York averages 95.7 points and 31.3 rebounds against divisional opponents.