If this is the Knicks’ opponent in the first round of the playoffs, they have to like their chances for an easy series against their personal punching bag.
And they played like a team that wanted to ensure they get this matchup.
They breezed past the Raptors 112-95 on Friday night at Madison Square Garden, marking another season sweep and their 13th straight win over Toronto — a streak that started in 2023.
Along with the Celtics’ rout of the Pelicans and Cavaliers’ loss to the Hawks, it locks the Knicks into the No. 3 seed in the East.
And the Raptors’ loss, coupled with the Hawks’ win over the Cavaliers, means the Raptors fall to the No. 6 seed — the seed that the Knicks will face in the first round — and the Hawks ascend to the No. 5 seed.
The Knicks had a chance to have a big say in their first-round opponent. And their commanding win — with a little help — means it is most likely they’ll get the most favorable matchup — on paper, at least.
“I don’t know who we’ll play in the playoffs, but we’ve played a lot of these teams four or five times, whatever it is,” coach Mike Brown said. “We feel like we have a pretty good feel on what most teams want to do. And it’s no different for teams looking at us.”
There can still be another twist Sunday, though. The Raptors own the tiebreaker on the Hawks, so if the Raptors beat the Nets and the Hawks lose to the Heat, the two teams would flip-flop again and the Knicks would face the Hawks.
The Magic, after beating the Bulls, also still have a long-shot chance to claim the No. 6 seed, though that would require the Raptors to inexplicably lose to the tanking Nets.
It means the Knicks’ regular-season finale against the Hornets is meaningless — they can sit their main players and get some extra rest ahead of the postseason.
“It’s great when you can be anywhere near the top [of the conference],” Karl-Anthony Towns said. “We had the chance to dictate our destiny and we did that by winning these games. It’s great to be in this position.”
So much of the discourse in recent days has surrounded Jalen Brunson and Towns finally finding a rhythm together as the regular season winds down. And both were excellent Friday.
Brunson finished with a game-high 29 points. Towns was particularly impactful early — he scored or assisted the Knicks’ first seven points — and finished with 22 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. They carried the scoring load with OG Anunoby missing the entire second half due to a left ankle injury and Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart both quiet.
Jordan Clarkson and Landry Shamet added 10 and eight points, respectively.
The Raptors were shorthanded, playing without ex-Knicks RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley.
The Knicks own a five-game winning streak, including three in a row over playoff teams after they went a month without beating a team above .500. They have also won 12 of their past 15 games.
“Tonight was a good night to show our improvement as a team,” Towns said. “Things we can be better at, but I think that right now confidence is high, morale is great in the locker room. It feels good to step into Sunday with that kind of momentum.”
After jumping out to an early 14-3 lead, the Knicks allowed the Raptors to close the first quarter on an 18-8 run and entered the second quarter with just a one-point lead. But the Knicks opened the second quarter with a 10-0 run. Jose Alvarado, after two straight DNPs, got some rare playing time with Miles McBride out (injury management) and helped spark the run. Alvarado finished with 12 points.
They took a 15-point lead into halftime and led by double digits nearly the entire second half.
Mitchell Robinson’s absence (load management) meant Ariel Hukporti got some rare playing time as well when Towns was on the bench. He recorded eight points.
This Knicks-Raptors matchup hasn’t been competitive in years. And now there’s a strong chance we’ll see an entire series of it.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
