The Raptors outscored the Knicks 27-8 in the third quarter to take a 96-62 lead into the fourth quarter. Lucas Nogueira was the only starter to log time in the final quarter as Toronto rolled to a 116-101 victory against New York to move to 27-13 on the season.
The Raptors got off to a slow start in their first afternoon game at the Air Canada Center this season. Despite being ahead by one after the opening quarter, the Raptors shot just 38 percent over the first 12 minutes. Both teams started to wake up in the second, with the Knicks shooting 50 percent from the floor and the Raptors connecting on 60 percent of their field goals. Derrick Rose scored 12 points for the Knicks, while Terrence Ross came off the bench to score 12 points in nine minutes for the Raptors. Ross shot 4-for-5 from beyond the arc in the quarter as Toronto held a 69-54 advantage at the break.
The Raptors wasted little time taking control in the third. Toronto ripped off a 25-2 run to open the quarter to take a 94-56 advantage, their largest lead of the game, with 2:40 remaining. Toronto outscored the Knicks 27-8 in the quarter, taking a 96-62 lead into the fourth quarter. DeMar DeRozan led Toronto with 11 in the third, while DeMarre Carroll added 10 points as the Raptors shot 60 percent (12-for-20) and the Knicks converted just 19 percent of their field goal attempts (4-for-21).
Although the Knicks would cut into the Raptors’ lead to open the fourth with an all-reserves lineup on the floor for the Raptors, the final quarter was all but a formality. DeMar DeRozan, Kyle Lowry, DeMarre Carroll and Jonas Valanciunas all rested for the final 12 minutes as Norman Powell led the team in scoring with 12 points in the quarter. The Knicks played their reserves for the entire fourth as well.
Kyle Lowry scored 16 points in 28 minutes against the Knicks. He shot 6-for-10 from the floor, 2-for-5 from beyond the arc and 2-for-3 from the free-throw line. Lowry added four rebounds, nine assists, a steal and a blocked shot and the Raptors were a +35 when he was on the floor. DeMar DeRozan scored a team-high 23 points to go with five assists and five rebounds. He shot 8-for-17 from the floor and 7-for-7 from the line in 28 minutes.
Jonas Valanciunas had a 12-point, 16-rebound double-double in 28 minutes. DeMarre Carroll had another solid effort, scoring 20 points in 27 minutes on 7-for-13 field goals. Terrence Ross had a fantastic first half when he scored all 12 of his points in the second quarter to help the Raptors build a 15-point halftime lead. Norman Powell finished with a season-high 21 points off the bench.
By Holly MacKenzie for Raptors.com
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