The Toronto Raptors fought hard against the New York Knicks Monday night, but in the end, they couldn’t deal with Karl-Anthony Towns.
The NBA had only one game Monday night, but it was a barn burner. There were 11 lead changes and six ties during the fourth quarter as RJ Barrett (30 points) tried to carry his new team to an upset over his old team.
But down the stretch, Towns and the Knicks simply made too many plays in their 113-108 win. Towns had 10 points in the final quarter, along with four rebounds and three assists. While Towns’ defense has drawn criticism early this season, in the final 5:30, he got a steal and a block on Barrett, and in the final seconds, stopped Barrett’s drive while OG Anunoby blocked his shot.
Towns showed the variety of his offensive game, making a layup, two three-pointers and assisting on another two triples. Though one of those wasn’t so much a great pass as a great shot by Jalen Brunson, who sank a 29-footer despite being fouled by Davion Mitchell, then completed a four-point play.
Three Knicks finished with 20+ points, including Towns, who had a team-high 24 points to go with 15 rebounds, six assists, two blocks and two steals. While the scoring from Towns has been a constant, his passing was an unexpected bonus on Monday.
Toronto had a massive rebounding advantage (51-40), including a whopping 17 offensive boards. But in the final quarter, both teams had 10 boards, with Towns coming up with four of them.
Mikal Bridges had 23 points, Jalen Brunson scored 20 and delivered 11 assists and former Raptor Anunoby had three blocks and two steals. It was a team victory for the Knicks, but one particular Knick won it for them at the end.
