Head coach Tom Thibodeau of the New York Knicks reacts after the ball is given to Charlotte Hornets
The New York Knicks try to cover the spread when they visit the Toronto Raptors on Friday, Jan. 6. Getty Images | Elsa

KEY POINTS

  • The Knicks are touted as underdogs against the Raptors despite holding a three-game winning run
  • The Raptors will bank on their defense to end their losing spell at the expense of the Knicks
  • The Knicks will be looking to stretch their winning streak to four against the struggling Raptors quintet

The Toronto Raptors will try to check their losing spell when they host a surging New York Knicks quintet on Friday, January 6 at the Scotiabank Arena.

The Raptors have dropped their last two games, the last of which was a loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, 101-104, in overtime.

Toronto was led by Fred VanVleet in the loss, finishing with 28 points, 12 assists, and eight rebounds.

Gary Trent Jr. backed him up with 22 markers and five boards.

Pascal Siakam struggled in that game with 11 markers and eight rebounds in 40 minutes of action.

For the Knicks, they are on a three-game winning run since losing to the San Antonio Spurs last December 29.

New York snatched wins against the Houston Rockets (108-88) and the Phoenix Suns (102-83) before getting even with the Spurs (117-114).

Against the Spurs, the Knicks were led by Jalen Brunson with 38 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

Julius Randle continues to have good games as well, ending up with 25 markers and 13 boards in a double-double performance in 41 minutes of action.

The host Raptors are the odds-on favorite to pick up the win with a -3.5 spread compared to the Knicks' +3.5.

The Moneyline for this NBA matchup is -163 for the Raptors and +141 for the Knicks.

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The Raptors will have redemption in their mind after missing the chance to snag a win over an undermanned Bucks five.

VanVleet had the chance to send the game into another overtime but missed on a three-point attempt.

But the key thing to note from that game is that Toronto was trailing the Bucks before finding its bearing to send the game into overtime.

They cannot afford to fall into the same hole against the Knicks, who are ranked 15 in points scored per game.

The Raptors' defense needs to hold and they are ranked 10th in the league in limiting teams per game.

The tip-off is at 7:40 PM ET with the game to be televised on MSG. It will also be live-streamed via fuboTV.

Pascal Siakam of the Toronto Raptors in the fourth quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers during Game Five of the Eastern Conference First Round at the Wells Fargo Center on April 25, 2022 in Philadelphia
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