The New York Knicks (2-2) have won two straight and will look to move over .500 for the first time on Thursday since winning their opener in the 2018-19 season. They head to Tampa to take on the Toronto Raptors (0-3), whose home games are temporarily in Florida due to Canada's travel restrictions because of the pandemic.

After a shocking blowout victory over the Bucks on Sunday, the Knicks put together another strong performance in Tuesday’s 95-86 win over the Cavaliers. New York shot 56 percent from three-point territory, and Julius Randle recorded his first triple-double as a member of the Knicks with 28 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists.

It has been a disappointing start for the Raptors, who are still looking for their first victory of the season. Tuesday saw them blow an eight-point halftime lead in their 100-93 loss against the 76ers. While three players in Toronto reached at least 20 points (Kyle Lowry, Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby), nobody else on the team scored more than eight.

According to Land of Basketball, Toronto has won eight straight in the series, with the Knicks’ last win over the Raptors coming on November 22, 2017. Half of those eight games saw the Raptors win by at least 25 points.

Injury report

Knicks: Out - Frank Ntilikina (knee), Dennis Smith Jr. (quad), Omari Spellman (calf), Obi Toppin (calf), Questionable - Alec Burks (ankle), Immanuel Quickley (hip), Austin Rivers (groin)

Raptors: Out - Patrick McCaw (knee)

Team rankings

Knicks: Points per game - 105.2 (26th of 30 teams), Points allowed per game - 106.5 (5th)

Raptors: Points per game - 102.0 (29th), Points allowed per game - 110.7 (12th)

Projected starting lineups

Knicks: PG - Elfrid Payton, SG - Reggie Bullock, SF - RJ Barrett, PF - Julius Randle, C - Mitchell Robinson

Raptors: PG - Kyle Lowry, SG - Fred VanVleet, SF - OG Anunoby, PF - Pascal Siakam, C - Aron Baynes

Stat leaders

Knicks: Scoring - Julius Randle 24.8, Rebounding - Julius Randle 10.5, Assists - Julius Randle 7.5

Raptors: Scoring - Kyle Lowry 19.3, Rebounding - Pascal Siakam 9.0, Assists - Kyle Lowry 9.7

Things to know

  • Julius Randle already has three games with at least seven assists, something he accomplished just once last season.
  • Incredibly through four games, not only do the Knicks have the best three-point percentage in the NBA at 45.9 percent, but they also have the best three-point percentage allowed by the opposition at 24.4 percent, according to teamrankings.com.
  • After a horrific first two games where he averaged just 3.5 points on 23.1 percent shooting from the field, Elfrid Payton has scored 41 points on a 58.1 field goal percentage in his last two outings.
  • In their first three games, Toronto has averaged a miserable 96.9 points per 100 possessions, a far cry from the 111.1 they averaged last season.
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