By Canadian Press

Karl-Anthony Towns’s double-double helps Knicks fend off Raptors 121-115

Feb 4, 2025 | 9:15 PM

TORONTO — Karl-Anthony Towns had a double-double and the New York Knicks held off a late Toronto Raptors rally for a 121-115 win on Tuesday.

Towns had 27 points and 20 rebounds as New York (34-17) won back-to-back games. Jalen Brunson’s three-pointer in the game’s last minute of play capped a 28-point performance.

Scottie Barnes had 23 points, five assists and three rebounds for an undermanned Toronto (16-34) squad. Rookie Jamal Shead had a career-high 16 points off the bench and Gradey Dick added 14 points.

Raptors centre Jakob Poeltl had five points, two rebounds and two assists in 15 minutes of play before leaving the game with a right hip pointer.

RJ Barrett of Mississauga, Ont., was put in the NBA’s concussion protocol hours before tipoff, making him inactive for the game. He hit his head on Scotiabank Arena’s hard court on Sunday in Toronto’s 115-108 win over the Los Angeles Clippers.

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It’s unlikely he’ll be available on Wednesday when the Raptors host the Memphis Grizzlies.

Point guard Immanuel Quickley remained on a minutes restriction, scoring nine points with five assists in 21 minutes of play for Toronto.

TAKEAWAYS

Knicks: Towns was dominant through the first three quarters of the game but when New York head coach Tom Thibodeau rested him with the game seemingly well in hand the Knicks’ 23-point lead evaporated.

Raptors: After squandering an early lead, Toronto clawed its way back into the game in the fourth thanks to a 13-2 run in the middle of the quarter. Shead, Kelly Olynyk of Kamloops, B.C., and Dick powered the comeback with Barrett and Poeltl not playing.

KEY MOMENT

Brunson drilled a 27-foot three-pointer with 26.1 seconds left to give the Knicks a six-point lead and the final bucket of the game.

KEY STAT

It took just 11 minutes of play for Towns to record his 39th double-double of the season. He had 11 points and 10 rebounds with eight minutes to go in the second quarter despite the Raptors playing physical defence against him.

UP NEXT

The Raptors will host Toronto’s Zach Edey and the Grizzlies on Wednesday in his first-ever NBA game in his hometown.

New York has a short break before hosting the Boston Celtics on Saturday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 4, 2025.

John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press