Twas two nights before Christmas and all through the house, the Knicks offense was stirring.
Karl-Anthony Towns and O.G. Anunoby each scored 31 points to lead the Knicks to their fourth straight win, 139-125 over the Toronto Raptors at Madison Square Garden last night.
The Knicks have won 14 of their last 18 to improve to 19-10.
The Knicks shot 59% from the floor, and 46% (17 for 37) from three as they blew open a close game with an 81-point barrage in the second (40) and third quarters (41). It was the first time in over 36 years that the Knicks had multiple quarters of 40-plus points.
“I thought guys were playing together, creating advantages, hitting the open man,” Coach Tom Thibodeau said. “Another high assist game (34), the cutting was good, we’re scoring plenty of points.”
The Knicks had 62 points in the paint, an 18-7 edge in second chance points and they also had 9 steals.
Anunoby, who was facing his old team, tied a Knicks franchise record as he hit his first 11 shots and finished 13 for 15 from the floor while Towns also grabbed 10 rebounds to extend his double-double mark to 18 straight games and passed Patrick Ewing for fourth place on the franchise all time list.
A big difference in this year’s team is that Jalen Brunson is not being counted on to carry the scoring load. Brunson did not have a field goal until the third quarter and scored only 12 points, but they got 40 points off the bench, led by Cam Payne who scored a season high 19 in 15 minutes.
“He’s [Brunson] gonna do whatever the game needs to win,” Thibodeau said. “We built a big lead. He doesn’t fight the game; he reads the game extremely well. We got some guys going early, I thought he got guys into a real good rhythm.”
Scottie Barnes led Toronto with 24 points while former Knick R.J. Barrett added 23.
As has been the case in recent games, the Knicks got off to a slow start. Midway through the first quarter, the Knicks had hit only 3 of 8 shots and they turned it over three times which allowed Toronto to hang around.
Miles McBride, who scored 12 points, came off the bench to hit consecutive three pointers as the Knicks took a 19-15 lead.
After Barnes hit a jumper to put Toronto up 28-27, Payne hit a three as the Knicks took a 30-28 lead after a first quarter that saw nine lead changes and eight ties.
As has been the case in recent games, the Knicks took control in the second quarter as they outscored the Raptors, 40-24 to take a 70-52 lead at halftime.
Barrett hit a running lay up to give the Raptors a 32-30 lead but it was the last time they would lead the game. A 15-2 run capped off by an Anunoby dunk put the Knicks up 45-34.
The Knicks outhustled Toronto as Anunoby dove for a loose ball and got it to Towns, who fed Josh Hart underneath for a reverse lay up that made it 50-36.
Brunson did not score his first point of the game until there were less than two minutes left in the second quarter, but the Knicks were leading by 19 at that point.
The third quarter was more of the same and Brunson got it going as he scored his first two field goals on consecutive shots to give the Knicks a 75-58 lead.
With less than four minutes left in the third, Anunoby scored seven straight points to make it 101-70. It also made him 11 for 11 to start the game which tied a Knicks franchise record. On the ensuing possession, Anunoby lined up for a three as the crowd anticipated a record-breaking shot, but this one didn’t fall.
“He [Anunoby] was a monster,” said Josh Hart, who scored 11 points. “Offensively knocking down shots, he had mid-range, post, threes, he did a little bit of everything and then, obviously on the defensive end, he does what he does.”
Mikal Bridges, who scored 14 points, opened the fourth quarter with a three and then Payne’s three with ten minutes left gave the Knicks their biggest lead of the game, 120-87.
Things got a bit sloppy in the fourth quarter as the Raptors went on a 27-11 run to cut the deficit to 17, 131-114 with four and half minutes left.
The Knicks were not concerned about a comeback but what was concerning to Thibodeau was the fact that Toronto was 19 of 22 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter.
Thibs may have been taking a shot at the officiating, but he also critiqued his team when he said “We have to play for 48 minutes, that’s the challenge. I want to take a look at the fouls, we’re a low foul team. I didn’t like what occurred there.”
Landry Shamet, who dislocated his shoulder in pre-season and was waived, re-signed in the afternoon. The veteran shooting guard made his Knicks debut late in the fourth quarter and scored his first points on his first shot of the season.
The Knicks will look to keep the winning streak going on Christmas Day when they host Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs.
The Knicks are 23-32 all time on Christmas Day, including 22-25 at Madison Square Garden. Last season, the Knicks scored a 129-122 win over the Milwaukee Bucks in their Christmas Day game at MSG.
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