KAT leads the Knicks to victory in a true battle against the Raptors
Karl Anthony-Towns scored a three-pointer with 6.3 seconds left to secure the Knicks’ victory against the Raptors.
Sports Editorial (USA).- A monumental triple by the Dominican Karl-Anthony Towns with 6.3 seconds left in the fourth quarter sentenced the Toronto Raptors this Monday and gave the New York Knicks a hard-fought 113-108 victory in the only game of the night in the NBA.
After losing against the Detroit Pistons last Saturday without Towns, absent due to knee discomfort, the Knicks reactivated themselves in the Raptors’ field at the pace of their Dominican star, who had 24 points and fifteen rebounds, to which he added six assists.
The Dominican led a final run of 12-4 and was the protagonist with a key double play in the last 30 seconds, with great defense against RJ Barrett and the decisive triple for the victory, the second of his night.
The Knicks increased their road record to seven wins and six losses. In total, they won fifteen and lost nine, which leaves them in fourth place in the East.
Jalen Brunson, who caused a scare in the third period due to an ankle problem from which he finally managed to recover, finished with twenty points and eleven assists. Mikal Bridges contributed to the victory with 23 points and five three-pointers.
The Raptors lost their third consecutive game and paid for their five turnovers in the fourth quarter after dominating the New Yorkers for almost the entire game.
They gave up despite a great performance by RJ Barrett, former Knicks player, who pushed his former teammates to the limit with 30 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
It was precisely a former Raptors player, OG Anunoby, who ruined the night with a block in the final seconds that led to Towns’ decisive triple.
His former audience had given him a heartfelt ovation when the stadium’s public address system announced his name in the Knicks’ starting five. Anunoby signed for the Raptors in 2017 and was NBA champion in 2019.
For the Raptors, Ja’Kobe Walter contributed 19 points off the bench and Scottie Barnes scored fifteen, but left the court injured.
Scares for Barnes and Brunson
Balance reigned in the third period when both franchises suffered a scare from two of their leaders. Scottie Barnes was the one who risked the most, slipping on Towns’ foot and suffering a dangerous sprained ankle.
Barnes was left lying on the ground and told Raptors medical services that he could not control his foot after the accident.
He had to leave the track without putting his foot down and would not return to compete.
Shortly after, it was Brunson who caused the scare. He suffered an ankle problem when he apparently tripped on the foot of a fan sitting at the foot of the field when he was running towards his half of the field.
The Knicks leader returned to the locker room to be treated, and was able to return to compete in the fourth quarter. And he did it in a big way. With 101-104 and just over three minutes on the clock, he sealed a four-point play by hitting a triple with a foul from Mitchell.
An exchange of blows followed with RJ Barrett leading the Raptors by the hand. Until the last thirty seconds, when Anunoby’s block and Towns’ three-pointer sparked the Knicks’ enthusiasm.
The New Yorkers are now preparing to host the Atlanta Hawks in the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup.
EFE
