Jonah Ballow
KnicksNow.com
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RAPTORS 92 KNICKS 88 | MADISON SQUARE GARDEN
How it happened:
Toronto earned a 92-88 victory in an odd game with a combined 56 trips to the free throw line for both teams. Reserve forward Alan Anderson led the Raptors with 26 points in 30 minutes to lift the north of the border squad to a 21-32 overall record.
J.R. Smith was the leading scorer for the Knicks in a 26-point outing that was desperately needed due to the uncharacteristic offensive performance from Carmelo Anthony. The All-Star forward was held to just 12 points on 5-for-24 shooting from the floor.
Toronto and New York were ice cold in the first quarter as both team shot below 32 percent from the field. Several technical fouls were called in the third period and Kyle Lowery was ejected from the contest before the final quarter.
Late in the fourth period, the teams started to establish an offensive flow. Anthony buried a 3-pointer to trim the Raptors lead to just three points with 2:50 remaining in the game. However, Smith missed a shot from downtown and a layup attempt on a fastbreak inside of two minutes.
John Lucas all but sealed the game on a fading jumper at the shot clock buzzer to build an 86-80 advantage for Toronto at the 54.8 mark.
Raymond Felton finished with 16 points and 10-of-12 from the charity stripe in the defeat. Tyson chandler added 10 points and nine rebounds.
Knick of the Night:
Smith registered 33 minutes, hit 8-of-17 shots, and grabbed four boards off the pine. The shooting tallied 15 of his 26 points behind the arc.
Statistically Speaking:
Anderson’s 26 points were more than Anthony and Rudy Gay’s scoring output combined tonight.
Looking Ahead:
The Knicks head to the All-Star break with a 32-18 record. Chandler, Anthony, Novak, and James White will all make the trip to Houston for the midseason showcase. Stay tuned to KnicksNow.com for comprehensive coverage starting Friday morning.
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