The New York Knicks (8-6) travel to Air Canada Centre to take on the Toronto Raptors (9-5) in a Friday night (Nov. 17) matchup.
Coming off a heartbreaking loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday (Nov. 13), the Knicks bounced back with a 106-101 victory at home against the Utah Jazz on Wednesday (Nov. 15). New York had their third recent come-from-behind win as they outscored Utah 29-19 in the fourth quarter. They held the Jazz to just 41 second-half points.
The Raptors won their second game in a row and for the fourth time in five games when they defeated the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday by the score of 125-116.
The Pelicans had no answer as to how to stop Toronto as they shot 59.2 percent from the field.
Projected starters
Knicks: PG - Jarrett Jack, SG - Tim Hardaway Jr., SF - Courtney Lee, PF - Kristaps Porzingis, C - Enes Kanter
Raptors: PG - Kyle Lowry, SG - DeMar DeRozan, SF - OG Anunoby (Norman Powell if active), PF - Serge Ibaka, C - Jonas Valanciunas
Team leaders
Knicks: Scoring - Kristaps Porzingis 28.9, Rebounding - Enes Kanter 10.5, Assists - Jarrett Jack 5.4
Raptors: Scoring - DeMar DeRozan 24.9, Rebounding - Jonas Valanciunas 7.4, Assists - Kyle Lowry 7.0
Injuries
Knicks: no notable injuries
Raptors: Questionable - Norman Powell (hip), Delon Wright (shoulder)
What to know and watch for
Only four of the Knicks’ first 14 games have been played on the road.
They are currently 1-3 in away games with the win coming against the Cleveland Cavaliers. New York will need to take advantage of a schedule that has them at home for five of the next seven games after Toronto because it gets brutal towards the new year. From December 27-February 2, 16 of their 20 games are played away from Madison Square Garden.
Friday’s game features the third and fourth best shooting teams as of games played through Wednesday. The Raptors rank third shooting 48.2 percent from the field while the Knicks are fourth at 47.8 percent.
DeMar DeRozan had his way with New York in the four meetings last season. He shot 53.8 percent from the field, attempted 48 free throws, and averaged 32.0 points.
He scored 72 points against the Knicks in the two most recent meetings.
Past history between the two teams
The two Atlantic Division rivals have met 85 times in the regular season with the Raptors holding a 45-40 edge in the win column.
The series has been one-sided of late as Toronto has taken seven in a row against the Knicks including a four-game sweep last season. Three of those four games saw New York lose by double digits. The last time the Knicks defeated the Raptors was on November 10, 2015.
