If you could travel back in time to early October, I’m not sure how many people you’d be able to convince that the Raptors and the Knicks would be tied for the three-seed in the Eastern Conference heading into the All-Star break — and yet, here we are.
Toronto’s comes into Wednesday’s Atlantic division tilt on a four-game winning streak, the most recent of which was a 103-101 victory over the reigning NBA Champions on Sunday in Oklahoma City. Meanwhile, New York will travel across the border after taking care of the Kings on the first leg of a back-to-back last night at Madison Square Garden.
Let’s preview this battle atop the East with the help of some of some odds and lines on the DraftKings Sportsbook.
Knicks at Raptors prediction, preview
In terms of Raptors’ wins in the “Scottie Barnes era” of the franchise, Sunday’s narrow defeat of the Thunder ranks pretty near the top of the list. Ironically, it wasn’t the greatest statistical performance for the soon-to-be two-time All-Star, as Barnes was held to just 10 points on 3-of-8 shooting. However, the box score can only capture so much impact. Not only did Barnes add 11 rebounds and eight assists, but he made the two biggest plays of the contest. First, Barnes blocked what would have been a game-tying Chet Holmgren jumper, then recovered the loose ball to set up Jamal Shead with free throws to ice the victory. Yet Shead would miss both, necessitating Barnes to get on the offensive glass and tip out a crucial rebound to his teammate Immanuel Quickley. It was an awe-inspiring display of the little things. The glue things.
Speaking of Quickley, the veteran guard registered a double-double in Oklahoma City with 23 points and 11 rebounds, while also hitting six of his 10 three-point attempts. It was the continuation of an amazing run for Quickley, who tied a career-high with 40 points last Tuesday versus Golden State. Because of that recent form — and the Raptors’ 4-0 record — Quickley was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week on Monday. All in all, it’s a very nice way for Quickley to enter a matchup with his former employer on Wednesday evening.
As mentioned above, the Knicks easily dispatched of the lowly Kings on Tuesday in the first game of a back-to-back set, holding Sacramento to just 87 total points despite a 34-point effort from DeMar DeRozan. That said, it’s New York’s lack of consistent offense that has caused the team’s January swoon. The Knicks are only 5-8 in the month with a -1.2 net rating. It’s a 13-game span where New York is producing a paltry 111.1 points per 100 possessions — tied in the lower-third of the league with the Pelicans and the Kings. Not exactly the company you want to be keeping.
Karl-Anthony Towns has been the poster child for these struggles. The big man is averaging only 16.7 points per start in January and he’s shooting an underwhelming 43.4% from the field. To make matters even more frustrating, Towns posted 22.3 points per game in December with a 44.2% field goal rate from three-point range. That’s how efficient the All-Star can be when he’s right, and that’s the version of Towns that the Knicks need to see again soon.
Knicks at Raptors pick, best bet
Best Bet: Knicks ML (+105)
The Raptors are the hotter team and they have the rest advantage, yet they also lost the first two meetings between these squads in 2025-26 by an average of 19.0 points. At the end of the day, the Knicks still possess the superior top-end roster talent. It’s difficult to go against that. Even if you just want to back New York on the spread, Toronto is 9-14 ATS at home this season.
