Karl-Anthony Towns had 24 points and 15 rebounds in a double-double as the New York Knicks outlasted the Toronto Raptors 113-108 in a nail-biter on Monday. It was an important win for the Knicks ahead of their NBA Cup quarter-final matchup against the Atlanta Hawks.
Returning after missing Saturday’s loss to Detroit due to a sore right knee, Towns made his presence felt in a tightly contested game that featured 19 lead changes. With the score tied at 108-108 following a finger-roll layup by Toronto’s RJ Barrett— a former Knick—Towns made a clutch driving layup off a Jalen Brunson assist.
He sealed it with a three-pointer with 6.3 seconds remaining after a crucial block by OG Anunoby. Mikal Bridges had 23 points and Brunson contributed 20 points and added 11 assists for New York, winners of 10 of their last 13. Anunoby scored 14 in his first game back in Toronto since the Knicks picked him up.
Barrett had 30 for the Raptors, and rookie Ja’Kobe Walter scored a career-best 19. Scottie Barnes had 15 points before leaving in the third quarter after colliding with Towns and spraining an ankle, the latest setback for the 2022 NBA Rookie of the Year after he already missed 11 games this season.
The NBA Cup quarter-finals start on Tuesday, and the Knicks look to take this momentum into their Wednesday match-up at Madison Square Garden.
