(Toronto) The frustration continues to mount for the Toronto Raptors.
Julius Randle scored 19 of 32 points in the first quarter to lead the New York Knicks to a 112-108 win over the Raptors on Friday, beating the Toronto club for the first time in 12 attempts at Scotiabank Arena.
Fred VanVleet scored 28 points, while Gary Trent Jr. added 27 for the Raptors, who lost their third straight game.
The Raptors have lost 11 of their last 14 games and are 16-23 — the Torontonians’ worst record after 39 games since the 2012-13 season.
The Raptors hadn’t lost to the Knicks at home in 11 straight games, a streak that dated back to Nov. 10, 2015.
Pascal Siakam finished with 18 points and 13 rebounds, while OG Anunoby contributed with 13 points.
Jalen Brunson added 22 points as the Knicks (22-18) won their fourth straight game.
The Knicks led by 16 points with 4:37 left in the game. The Raptors pulled themselves together and when Siakam made a three-point shot with 49 seconds left, the throw made the gap to four points and had the 19,800 spectators on their feet.
Trent fired a three-point shot to cut the deficit to two seven seconds later, but Brunson scored four in the dying seconds to seal the game.
The nine points scored by Chris Boucher in the first half exceeded the number of points scored by all reserves in the Raptors’ last two games.
Ontario Knicks guard RJ Barrett has missed his fifth straight game with a finger laceration. Barrett, the third overall pick in the 2019 draft, is averaging 19.7 points per game this season.