7:30 PM ET | Madison Square Garden TV: MSG Network Radio: ESPN 98.7 FM
1. On Monday night, the Knicks quickly bounced back in a lopsided 107-85 victory over the Clippers. New York responded after falling behind by eight points in the second quarter by outscoring Los Angeles 30-10 for the remainder of the period. Kristaps Porzingis returned to form with a game-high 25 points, Enes Kanter recorded a double-double with 12 points and 16 boards, and Doug McDermott registered 16 points in 30 minutes.
2. Porzingis continues to etch his name in the franchise record books. With 25 points on Friday, the third-year man has compiled 414 points in 15 games this season. Only two Knicks have totaled more points in their first 15 games. Those two players? Bernard King in the 1984-85 season with 493 points and Patrick Ewing scored 438 in the 1989-90 campaign.
3. Most NBA pundits didn’t predict the early success and competition inside the Atlantic Division. At the top, Boston is the league’s best team with a 16-2 overall record while it rides a 16-game winning streak. Toronto sits in second place with an 11-5 mark and four straight victories. New York owns the best home mark in the division at 8-3 and a 9-7 overall record heading into tonight’s contest. Philadelphia is right in the mix by winning seven out of its last ten games (9-7). Brooklyn is three games behind the Sixers with a 6-10 record this year. Currently, the Atlantic teams have the most combined wins in the NBA (51).
4. Last Friday, the Knicks suffered a 107-84 defeat in Toronto. The road team struggled to shoot from the floor but managed to connect on nearly 40 percent of its 3-point attempts. The Knicks also outrebounded the Raptors and only committed 10 turnovers in the defeat. The All-Star backcourt of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan combined for 44 points, 17 assists, and 14 rebounds in the first meeting between the two teams.
5. The Raptors arrive in New York on a four-game win streak and their margin of victory has been 14 points per game. Toronto is an elite offensive team that ranks in the top five in offensive rating, assist/turnover ratio, and effective field goal percentage. One area where New York can attack is on the glass. The Raptors are 23rd in offensive rebounding percentage and 22nd in defensive rebounding percentage. Serge Ibaka did return to the lineup on Sunday against Washington and his presence in the frontcourt should help Toronto’s rebounding efforts. However, the Knicks are the top offensive rebounding team in the NBA and rank No. 2 in second-chance points.