Fred VanVleet scored 28 points (14 in the first quarter), and the Toronto Raptors went on a 24-8 run in the fourth quarter to beat the New York Knicks 125-116.
It was tied at 88 when Precious Achiuwa’s 2 free throws put the Raptors ahead for good with 10:04 left. Gary Trent Jr. scored 8 points and Chris Boucher added 6 as they pulled away to a 112-96 lead with 4:45 left.
Early in the fourth quarter, Boucher had 2 of his 3 steals in 49 seconds, the first leading to his own free throws and the second to Trent’s driving dunk.
Pascal Siakam had 24 points and 6 assists. Trent added 24 points with 6 3-pointers, and Boucher had 14 points and 3 steals off the bench. The Raptors had 3 20-point scorers.
For the Knicks, RJ Barrett scored 30 points, and Julius Randle added 23 points, a season-high 19 rebounds and 8 assists. Jalen Brunson scored 21 points (12 on 4 3-pointers). The Knicks had 3 20-point scorers.
The Knicks committed 17 turnovers to the Raptors’ 8. They gave up 17 offensive rebounds, about 5 more than usual for the shots the Raptors missed. The Raptors outscored the Knicks 28-18 in 9 minutes with Hernangomez, Boucher, Trent, Achiuwa and Barnes on the floor together. Trent fouled out.