Toronto, ON (Sports Network) - Rudy Gay scored 26 of his season-high 32 points
during the second half in his most prolific performance in a Toronto uniform,
and the Raptors hung on down the stretch for a 100-98 victory over the
sputtering New York Knicks at Air Canada Centre.
DeMar DeRozan chipped in 18 points and Kyle Lowry had 15 along with seven
assists for the resurgent Raptors, who are winners in six of their last seven
outings and are 7-3 since acquiring Gay from the Memphis Grizzlies on Jan. 30.
Carmelo Anthony matched Gay with a 32-point effort and helped rally the Knicks
back from a 13-point third-quarter deficit to grab a two-point lead with six
minutes to go, but Lowry hit a clutch jumper with 28 seconds left to snap a
95-95 tie and the Raptors held on.
The defeat was New York's fourth in a row, its longest losing streak since a
six-game skid last March that triggered the dismissal of then-head coach Mike
D'Antoni.
J.R. Smith and Amar'e Stoudemire finished with 19 and 14 points, respectively,
for the Knicks.
Down by three at halftime, Toronto would dominate the third quarter to put the
Knicks in a sizeable hole. The Raptors began the frame with a 6-0 run and
added an 8-1 burst -- during which Gay accounted for six points -- later on to
claim a 66-57 advantage with 4:49 to go in the stanza.
Gay, who racked up 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting for the period, knocked down a
triple at the 3:07 mark to stake the Raptors to their largest lead of the
night at 73-60.
The Knicks trailed 79-68 in the final minute of the third quarter, but charged
back via an 11-2 spurt that made it a two-point game with nine minutes to
play. A Smith 3-pointer with 6:55 remaining created an 86-86 tie, and the
standout sixth man drove the lane and scored 45 seconds later to put New York
in front for the first time since the game's initial stages.
Toronto countered with a 7-1 tear capped by Gay's jumper with 3:35 left to
play that put the Raptors up by a 93-89 count, but the Knicks scored the next
four points and the score remained deadlocked entering the final minute.
Lowry's tough runner over the much-taller Tyson Chandler gave Toronto a 97-95
edge with 28 seconds showing, and Chandler hit just 1-of-2 foul shots on the
following possession before Gay's two free throws had the Raptors in front by
three with 21 seconds on the clock.
Anthony then miss a three-point try from the top of the key with Lowry in his
face, and Gay sealed the outcome by making 1-of-2 from the line in the waning
seconds.
The game was tied at 32-32 at the end of a fast-paced first quarter in which
both teams shot better than 54 percent, and it remained tight all throughout
the second period despite the Raptors going just 6-of-22 from the field for
the session.
A Raymond Felton three-pointer 5:32 prior to the intermission put the Knicks
ahead and kicked off an 8-2 run that gave New York a 49-44 lead late in the
half, and the visitors would take a 51-48 edge into the break behind a 17-
point outburst from Anthony.
Game Notes
Gay's previous season high of 29 points came in his second outing as a Raptor,
a loss to Miami on Feb. 3 ... Raptors forward Amir Johnson had a 15-game
streak with at least one blocked shot come to an end ... The Knicks went just
4-of-13 from the field in being outscored by a 31-19 margin in the third
quarter ... Toronto rookie and 2013 NBA Slam Dunk champion Terrence Ross sat
out the contest with the stomach flu ... The Raptors have now won three
straight meetings in the series, including a 92-88 decision at Madison Square
Garden on Feb. 13.
The Sports Network