Raptors 115, Knicks 100
TORONTO -- Guard Kyle Lowry had season bests with 32 points and eight rebounds and equaled his season high with 11 assists as the Toronto Raptors defeated the New York Knicks 115-100 on Saturday.
Guard-forward Terrence Ross added 23 points for the Raptors (13-15), who completed a sweep of their back-to-back games over the injury-depleted Knicks following a win in New York on Friday.
Guard DeMar DeRozan added 20 points for Toronto and guard Greivis Vasquez chipped in with 11 points. Center Jonas Valanciunas had nine points and 10 rebounds.
Forward Amar'e Stoudemire scored 23 points -- 20 in the second half -- to lead the Knicks (9-21), who have lost three in a row.
Center Tyson Chandler added 16 points for the Knicks while forward J.R. Smith contributed 13 and guard Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 12. Former Raptor forward Andrea Bargnani, who was booed every time he touched the ball, also scored 12 for the Knicks. Guard Toure' Murry had 11.
Vasquez hit three 3-pointers in the first three minutes of the fourth quarter to give the Raptors a 17-point lead. But Smith hit a 3-pointer and Stoudemire scored on a layup to cut the lead to 101-93 with 4:09 to play.
Chandler's dunk cut the lead to six. But Lowry made two free throws and a 3-pointer after Murry was charged with a flagrant foul, boosting the lead to 11, and the Raptors had command of the game.
The Raptors took a 13-point lead into the second half but the Knicks cut into that by scoring the first five points of the third quarter. A 3-point shot by Ross put the Raptors into a 14-point lead with 8:25 to play in the quarter. The lead was up to 21 points three minutes later after DeRozan's driving layup. The Raptors led 85-71 after three quarters.
The Knicks took a 34-32 lead on a pull-up jumper by Murry with 6:32 to play in the second quarter. But the Raptors went on a 12-0 run to take a 10-point lead with 4:12 to play.
They led 57-44 at halftime. Lowry led the way with 14 points, seven assists and six rebounds. He extended his career-best streak of at least six assists in a game to 20. Ross also had 14 at the half for Toronto. Chandler led the Knicks with 12 first-half points.
Lowry scored nine points and added four assists and three rebounds in the first quarter to lead Toronto to a 26-22 lead. Chandler scored seven points in the opening quarter to lead the Knicks.
NOTES: F Carmelo Anthony (left ankle sprain), G Raymond Felton (groin strain), F Metta World Peace (left knee) and G Pablo Prigioni (toe fracture) did not play for the Knicks. ... The Raptors' back-to-back games against the Knicks started a stretch of 11 consecutive games against Eastern Conference opponents through Jan. 15. ... Knicks C Tyson Chandler played in his 800th career NBA game. ... The Raptors are 8-7 on the road after the win in New York on Friday and have won five of their last six away games. The last time the Raptors were above .500 on the road this late in the season was Feb. 25, 2008 (14-13). ... The Knicks begin a three-game trip to Texas when they visit the San Antonio Spurs on Jan. 2. ... The Raptors next game will be Dec. 31 when they visit the Chicago Bulls.
