Atlantic Division NBA action on Friday evening, and we will see the Toronto Raptors tangle with the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden in New York. The Raptors enter this game at 45-35 and currently hold the 6th spot in the Eastern Conference. They just won two games in a row against Miami at home. The Knicks come in as the #3 seed in the East, with a 52-28 mark on the year.\u00a0 New York is coming off a nice 112-106 home win over Boston. The Knicks have won the last 12 games against the Raptors. Can they keep that streak alive? Continue reading to see my Toronto vs New York prediction.<\/p>\n
Odds: New York -6; Over Under 219.5<\/strong><\/p>\n The Toronto Raptors arrive in New York playing confident basketball. Toronto has won back-to-back home games over Miami, including a 128-114 win Thursday night<\/a>. Brandon Ingram<\/a> exploded for a season-high 38 points in that victory. RJ Barrett<\/a> added 22 points, and Scottie Barnes<\/a> chipped in 13. The Raptors are now tied with the Atlanta Hawks in the East standings. Toronto owns a top-10 scoring defense, allowing just under 112 points per game. That number gives this team a real chance against a solid Knicks offense. <\/span><\/p>\n Toronto\u2019s best path starts with its stars attacking downhill. Ingram leads the club with 21.5 points per game and gives them a dependable late-clock scorer. Barnes adds 18.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists next to strong defensive playmaking. Immanuel Quickley<\/a> is also critical against his former team, averaging 16.6 points and 5.9 assists. Toronto shoots 48.0 percent from the field, which ranks eighth. The Raptors also defend the arc well, allowing 35.1 percent from three, seventh in the league. Those numbers matter against a Knicks team that thrives on spacing and shotmaking. <\/span><\/p>\n For Toronto to win, the Raptors must turn this into a pace game. TeamRankings shows Toronto is second in fastbreak points allowed and third in assists allowed, signs of an active defense. Offensively, the Raptors must pressure Karl-Anthony Towns<\/a> inside with Jakob Poeltl<\/a> and Barnes crashing the paint. They also need Quickley to handle New York\u2019s perimeter pressure without wasting possessions. The danger is obvious, considering New York’s hot streak against Toronto. If the Raptors control their transition play, get efficient nights from Ingram and Barrett, and limit Brunson\u2019s pull-up game, they can make this one highly competitive.<\/p>\n The New York Knicks enter this matchup looking every bit like a dangerous East contender<\/a>. New York sits third in the conference entering Friday\u2019s slate, riding high after a home win over the Boston Celtics. Jalen Brunson<\/a> finished with 25 points and 10 assists. Josh Hart<\/a> scored 26 points, and Towns posted 16 points and 12 rebounds. That win kept the Knicks rolling at home, where they are 29-9. Madison Square Garden has been a real edge all season. <\/span><\/p>\n This Knicks team wins with balance, spacing, and physical rebounding. New York scores 116.8 points per game and allows only 110.3. That gives the Knicks a top-10 profile on both ends. They also shoot 37.5 percent from three, fourth in the NBA. Brunson remains the engine at 26.0 points and 6.9 assists per game. Towns gives them 20.0 points and 11.9 rebounds, while OG Anunoby<\/a> adds 16.9 points and strong wing defense. Mikal Bridges<\/a> and Hart bring steady two-way value. When New York shares the ball and hits open threes, the offense becomes very hard to slow down. <\/span><\/p>\n For New York to win, the Knicks must own the glass and stay organized in transition defense. TeamRankings has New York fourth in total rebounds and fifth in defensive rebounding rate. Those strengths should matter against a Toronto team that prefers pace and paint pressure. Brunson also has to control the tempo against Quickley and keep Toronto out of scramble situations. Anunoby\u2019s matchup with Ingram will be one of the game\u2019s biggest swings. If the Knicks limit live-ball turnovers, finish possessions with rebounds, and make Toronto score in the half-court, they should be in a strong position to extend their 12-game run in this series.<\/p>\n The Toronto Raptors +6 and the under 219.5 both stand out in this Eastern Conference matchup. Toronto enters with momentum after two straight wins over Miami, showing improved offensive rhythm. Ingram<\/span><\/span> has been the key scorer, while Barnes<\/span><\/span> continues to impact every phase. The Raptors\u2019 defensive consistency is important against a solid New York offense. Expect Toronto to stay competitive by slowing the pace and forcing half-court sets throughout this game.<\/p>\n The New York Knicks<\/span><\/span> will still be tough to beat at home. They are coming off a strong win over Boston and remain one of the East\u2019s best teams. Brunson<\/span><\/span> controls the offense and thrives in late-game situations. However, the Knicks do not always push the tempo, especially in tighter matchups. Their defense allows just 110.3 points per game, ranking fifth in the NBA. With Anunoby<\/span><\/span> and Bridges<\/span><\/span> on the wings, New York can limit efficient scoring runs.<\/p>\n This game projects as a slower, physical battle with playoff-like intensity. Toronto\u2019s ability to defend the perimeter should limit New York\u2019s three-point efficiency. At the same time, the Knicks\u2019 half-court defense can keep the Raptors from getting easy transition baskets. That combination supports the under 219.5 as both teams lean on defense. The spread also favors Toronto, given their recent form and improved shot creation. Expect a close game late, with New York likely to win but failing to cover. The Raptors +6 and under 219.5 form a strong correlated betting angle here.<\/p>\n Final Predictions: Toronto +6 & Under 219.5<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a9 John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Atlantic Division NBA action on Friday evening, and we will see the Toronto Raptors tangle with the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden in New York. The Raptors enter this game at 45-35 and currently hold the 6th spot in the Eastern Conference. They just won two games in a row against Miami at […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5785,"featured_media":188197,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,62,50437,12,3,14],"tags":[308,3178,968,213,1484,1082,3852],"class_list":["post-188161","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-nba","category-nba-predictions","category-knicks","category-news","category-raptors","tag-brandon-ingram","tag-immanuel-quickley","tag-jakob-poeltl","tag-karl-anthony-towns","tag-mikal-bridges","tag-og-anunoby","tag-scottie-barnes"],"modified_by":"Michael Kovacs, ADMIN","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/188161","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5785"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=188161"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/188161\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":188207,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/188161\/revisions\/188207"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/188197"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=188161"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=188161"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=188161"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Toronto Raptors<\/h3>\n
New York Knicks<\/h3>\n
Predictions<\/h3>\n