The New York Knicks take on the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday night. The game tips off at 7:30 p.m. ET at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.
New York is a 2.5-point favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook with the total for this game set at 221.5 points. Let’s get into my preview, prediction and pick for this Raptors vs. Knicks game.
Raptors vs. Knicks prediction, preview
The Knicks are playing good basketball coming into this game. They have won four of their past five games, including beating the Rockets and Spurs, two of the top three teams in the Western Conference. New York’s last two wins, over San Antonio and Milwaukee, have both come by 25 or more points. The Knicks are still trying to chase down the Celtics to get what could be a crucial home-court advantage against Boston in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Boston is also playing great, and New York will need to keep up this strong play down the stretch to overtake the Celtics. However, they are playing good defense and have one of the elite scorers in basketball, which gives them a chance against anyone.
Toronto has not quite been able to keep up with the top four teams in the Eastern Conference, who have all been surging recently. The Raptors are currently the 5-seed in the East and trail Cleveland by two games. They are now just as close to the top four as they are to falling back to the pack of teams below them, led by the 76ers. Toronto has dropped two of its past three games, but those losses did come to the Thunder and Spurs, two of the best teams in the NBA. However, that is a Spurs team that the Knicks just decimated on Sunday. The Raptors are a well-coached and well-balanced team. The question is whether Brandon Ingram or Scottie Barnes can get the big buckets needed down the stretch against the elite teams in the league like Oklahoma City, San Antonio and New York.
Raptors vs. Knicks pick, best bet
The Raptors have a Knicks problem. Toronto has lost 11 straight games against the Knicks, dating back to the 2022-23 season. This season, New York is 3-0 against Toronto, winning by an average of 21.7 points per game. The Raptors have not been able to handle the Knicks in the paint in any of these matchups. Karl-Anthony Towns is averaging 15.3 rebounds per game against Toronto this season, and Mitchell Robinson had a 15-rebound performance himself against Toronto earlier this season. The Knicks have out-rebounded the Raptors by an average of 12.3 rebounds per game this season.
New York has definitely found a defensive identity that it was lacking earlier this season. From the start of the season through the end of December, the Knicks were allowing 114.6 points per game. Since the start of the new year, New York has allowed just 107 points per game. Meanwhile, Toronto is averaging just 95.7 points per game against the Knicks this season. The Knicks should make it hard for Toronto to score and dominate the boards once again. If it is close down the stretch, the Knicks have an elite late-game scorer in Jalen Brunson to get the buckets needed to win the game and cover the short 2.5-point spread.
