The host Toronto Raptors defeated the New York Knicks 118 - 107 at Air Canada Centre on Saturday. Despite the scoreline showing a double - digit margin, this game was close throughout. In fact, there were 20 ties and 27 lead changes, with these two teams battling all night long. The Raptors turned it on late though, as they turned a tied ball game with six minutes left into an 11 - point win. Free-throw shooting was the difference in the game, as Toronto went 33 - of - 38, while New York went just 12 - of - 16. The Raptors also dominated the hustle stats, recording 16 combined steals and blocks to the Knicks' five. That also led to 20 fastbreak points for Toronto, with New York finishing with only six. New York (3 - 6) has gotten off to a rough start this season, but this is not a loss to be concerned with. After getting ejected on Friday, Carmelo Anthony bounced back with 31 points, six rebounds and four assists here. Derrick Rose and Kristaps Porzingis tied for second on the team in scoring, as they each dropped 21 points and grabbed four boards in the loss. While Joakim Noah finished with just four points and one assist, he did grab 18 rebounds out of the center position. The Knicks next game will be on Monday, when they host the struggling Dallas Mavericks. Toronto (7 - 2) is as dominant as anyone at home and they continue to abuse weak Eastern Conference teams. DeMar DeRozan added on to his torrid pace, as he tallied 33 points, seven rebounds and four assists in this win. Norman Powell got his first start of the season and scored 19 points thanks to an 8 - of - 8 showing from the free - throw line. Kyle Lowry accumulated 16 points, six rebounds and six assists in 40 minutes of action. Lucas Nogueira was a huge spark off the bench, totaling six points, 10 rebounds, three steals and five blocks in the victory. Toronto is off until Tuesday, when they travel to face the Cleveland Cavaliers.
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 "TeamStat(G,'Knicks') has 6 Losses ,has 107 Total points ,has 16 Turnovers ,has 3 Wins ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Carmelo Anthony') has 4 Assists ,has 31 Blocks ,has 6 Free throws attempted ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Kristaps Porzingis') has 21 Assists ,has 4 Blocks ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Joakim Noah') has 1 Assists ,has 4 Blocks ,has 18 Free throws attempted ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Derrick Rose') has 21 Assists ,has 4 Blocks ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Norman Powell') has 8 Assists ,has 8 Blocks ,has 19 Free throws attempted ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'DeMar DeRozan') has 4 Assists ,has 33 Blocks ,has 7 Free throws attempted ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Kyle Lowry') has 6 Assists ,has 16 Blocks ,has 6 Free throws attempted ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Lucas Nogueira') has 5 Assists ,has 6 Blocks ,has 10 Free throws attempted ,has 3 Free throws made ."]