NEW YORK – OG Anunoby scored a career-high 36 points and the Toronto Raptors won their fourth straight by beating the New York Knicks 113-104 on Monday night in the 75th anniversary of the NBA's first game.
Gary Trent Jr. added 26 points for the Raptors, who surged into the lead by outscoring the Knicks 38-22 in the third quarter. Fred VanVleet finished with 17 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.
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The Raptors took the lead for good during the period when Svi Mykhailiuk's 3-pointer made it 68-66 — the same score by which the Knicks beat the Toronto Huskies on Nov. 1, 1946, at Maple Leaf Gardens.
Mykhailiuk finished with 15 points in place of Scottie Barnes, who was leading all rookies with 18.1 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. He has a sprained right thumb.
RJ Barrett scored 27 points for the Knicks, who were trying for their first 6-1 start since 2012-13. Julius Randle had 22 points, nine rebounds and five assists.
The Raptors made seven 3-pointers in the third quarter after hitting just five in the first half. Anunoby and VanVleet each scored 10 in the period, and Toronto kept a double-digit lead for most of the fourth quarter.
TIP-INS
Raptors: Coach Nick Nurse said there was no timeline for Barnes, saying the No. 4 pick's thumb was tender and sore but didn't seem awfully bad. ... Anunoby's previous best was 32 points.
Knicks: The Knicks were short-handed at center after backup Taj Gibson played just 10 minutes before leaving with a sprained left ankle. Nerlens Noel is still out with a sore left knee. .... The Knicks are one of only three franchises to play in every NBA season, along with the Boston Celtics and the Warriors, who were the Philadelphia Warriors when the league began.
CELEBRATING 75
Nurse liked the idea of the NBA scheduling another New York-Toronto matchup exactly 75 years after the first one.
“The rematch. I think we owe them one, don’t we?” he joked before the game.
UP NEXT
Raptors: Visit Washington on Wednesday.
Knicks: Visit Indiana on Wednesday.
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