Knicks locked into third place in Eastern Conference after beating Raptors
Knicks guard Jalen Brunson directs a play against the Toronto Raptors in the first half of an NBA basketball game at Madison Square Garden on Friday. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Jalen Brunson scored 29 points and Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 22 points, 10 rebounds and five assists as the Knicks clinched the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference with their 13th consecutive victory over the Toronto Raptors, 112-95, on Friday night at Madison Square Garden.
The Knicks earned their fifth straight victory and improved to 53-28, their most victories since 2012-13, when they won 54 games. They will conclude the regular season on Sunday at home against the Hornets.
The Raptors (45-36) are sixth in the conference and will face the Knicks in the first round of the playoffs if they finish in that spot. The Knicks' hopes of finishing second ended when the Celtics beat the Pelicans and remained two games ahead with one game to play. They moved two games ahead of the fourth-place Cavaliers with one game remaining for each.
Brunson shot 12-for-18 from the field and Towns was 8-for-12. OG Anunoby left the game in the second quarter after stepping on Scottie Barnes' foot. He remained in the game for more than two minutes but was ruled out at halftime.
Sandro Mamukelashvili scored 17 points off the bench, Brandon Ingram had 16 and Ja’Kobe Walter and Scottie Barnes each had 15 for the Raptors, who have not beaten the Knicks since Jan. 22, 2023.
