3rd Quarter Report

The Knicks already have more points against the Raptors than they managed in total against the Pelicans last Saturday. The Knicks have a bit of a cushion as they currently lead the Raptors 115-85.

The Knicks entered the game having won three straight and they’re just one quarter away from another. Will they make it four, or will the Raptors step up and spoil it? We’ll know soon.

Who’s Playing

Toronto Raptors @ New York Knicks

Current Records: Toronto 7-22, New York 18-10

How To Watch

• When: Monday, December 23, 2024 at 7:30 p.m. ET
• Where: Madison Square Garden — New York, New York
• TV: MSG Network
• Follow: CBS Sports App
• Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
• Ticket Cost: $201.04

What to Know

The Knicks will be playing the full four quarters on Monday, but they’re expected to have things wrapped up well before that. They will be home for the holidays to greet the Toronto Raptors at 7:30 p.m. ET at Madison Square Garden. The Raptors are crawling into this match hobbled by seven consecutive losses, while the Knicks will bounce in with three consecutive wins.

The Knicks are headed into this one after the oddsmakers set last week’s over/under low at 223.5, but even that wound up being too high. They came out on top against the Pelicans by a score of 104-93 on Saturday. The victory came about thanks to a strong surge starting at the 8:08 mark of the third quarter, when New York was facing a 62-48 deficit.

Jalen Brunson was a one-man wrecking crew for the Knicks as he went 7 for 10 from beyond the arc en route to 39 points plus six assists and two steals. With that strong performance, Brunson is now averaging an impressive 25.1 points per game.

Meanwhile, the Raptors were within striking distance but couldn’t close the gap on Sunday as they fell 114-110 to the Rockets. Toronto was up 40-24 in the second but couldn’t hold on to the lead.

Even though they lost, the Raptors were working as a unit and finished the game with 33 assists. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they’ve now posted at least 26 assists in four consecutive matchups.

New York has been performing well recently as they’ve won eight of their last ten contests, which provided a nice bump to their 18-10 record this season. As for Toronto, their defeat dropped their record down to 7-22.

Monday’s game is shaping up to be a scrappy match: The Knicks haven’t given up the ball easily this season, having only averaged 12.3 turnovers per game (they’re ranked fourth in turnovers per game overall). It’s a different story for the Raptors, though, as they’ve been averaging 15.7. Given the Knicks’ sizable advantage in that area, the Raptors will need to find a way to close that gap.

The Knicks didn’t have too much breathing room in their matchup against the Raptors when the teams last played two weeks ago, but they still walked away with a 113-108 win. Do the Knicks have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Raptors turn the tables on them? We’ll have the answer soon enough.

Odds

New York is a big 14-point favorite against Toronto, according to the latest NBA odds.

The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Knicks as a 14.5-point favorite.

The over/under is 226.5 points.

See NBA picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get picks now.

Series History

New York has won 7 out of their last 10 games against Toronto.

• Dec 09, 2024 – New York 113 vs. Toronto 108
• Mar 27, 2024 – New York 145 vs. Toronto 101
• Jan 20, 2024 – New York 126 vs. Toronto 100
• Dec 11, 2023 – New York 136 vs. Toronto 130
• Dec 01, 2023 – New York 119 vs. Toronto 106
• Jan 22, 2023 – Toronto 125 vs. New York 116
• Jan 16, 2023 – Toronto 123 vs. New York 121
• Jan 06, 2023 – New York 112 vs. Toronto 108
• Dec 21, 2022 – Toronto 113 vs. New York 106
• Apr 10, 2022 – New York 105 vs. Toronto 94