Knicks beat Raptors for 13th straight time and wrap up No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference

NEW YORK (AP) — Jalen Brunson scored 29 points, Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds, and the New York Knicks beat Toronto 112-95 stopping the Raptors from clinching a playoff spot Friday night.

Toronto entered the game needing to win Friday, or Sunday in its regular-season finale against Brooklyn, to clinch its first playoff berth in four years and avoid the play-in tournament.

Instead, New York earned its 13th straight win over the Raptors and clinched the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference.

The Knicks improved to 53-28 with the victory in what could be a preview of a first-round playoff series. New York lost its chance to climb to No. 2 when Boston beat the lottery-bound New Orleans Pelicans, while Toronto (45-36) is currently sixth in the East after having its two-game winning streak snapped.

Brunson shot 12 for 18 from the field while Towns was just as effective, shooting 8 for 12 for the Knicks, who extended their winning streak to five games.

New York forward OG Anunoby injured his left ankle midway through the second quarter and did not return to the game.

Brandon Ingram scored 16 points and Ja’Kobe Walter and Scottie Barnes each had 15 for the Raptors, who have not beaten New York since Jan. 22, 2023. The Knicks won all five meetings this season, once in the NBA Cup tournament.

A night after beating the Celtics, the Knicks jumped out to a 14-3 lead with 7:11 left to play in the first quarter and led 22-21 at the end of the period.

New York outscored the Raptors 29-15 in the second to head into halftime with a 51-36 advantage.

The Raptors managed to cut the deficit to 66-57 on a dunk from Ingram with 4:19 remaining in the third quarter, but Brunson sparked a 9-0 run with a 9-foot fadeaway jumper and a 3-pointer to increase the lead to 75-57.

The Knicks outscored Toronto 58-48 in the paint.

Up Next

Raptors: Host Brooklyn on Sunday to end the regular season.

Knicks: Close out the regular season at home against Charlotte on Sunday.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba