Tip-off: Thursday, 8:00 p.m. ET
Line: N/A

The Raptors will be going for their 10th straight victory when they host the struggling Knicks on Thursday.

The Knicks have not played well recently and are coming into this one after losing 128-122 as nine-point home underdogs against the Thunder on Tuesday. New York has lost three straight games and the team shot under 40% from the field in the two contests before facing Oklahoma City. The Knicks must put it together offensively or they will really have trouble against the Raptors. Toronto has won nine straight games and the team has scored over 100 points in seven consecutive games. The Raptors have been playing very efficient basketball, shooting 45% or better in six of the past nine contests. These teams met earlier in the season and the Knicks ended up winning 111-109 as 7.5-point road underdogs. The Raptors are 5-4 SU in this head-to-head series over the past three seasons, but the Knicks are 6-3 ATS in those games. One thing favoring New York in this game is the fact that the team is 8-1 ATS versus good rebounding teams that outrebound their opponents by three or more per game this season. The Raptors, however, are 61-48 ATS when facing teams with a losing record over the past three seasons. SF Carmelo Anthony (Knee) is questionable for the Knicks in this game and PG Kyle Lowry (Wrist) is questionable for the Raptors, who are already without SF DeMarre Carroll (Knee) indefinitely.

The Knicks have lost three straight games and the team is really missing SF Carmelo Anthony (21.3 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 4.0 APG). Anthony is one of the best scorers in the NBA and the attention he demands offensively takes a ton of pressure off of his teammates. If he plays in this game then New York will have a much better chance of winning. Anthony scored 25 points the last time the Knicks faced the Raptors and it’d be hard to replace his production if he sits out. If Anthony doesn’t play then SG Arron Afflalo (13.9 PPG, 3.7 RPG) will need to step it up for New York. Afflalo has really struggled from the field over the past three games, going 10-for-36 from the floor and 3-for-10 from the outside. Afflalo is the focal point of the Knicks offense when Anthony isn’t on the floor and he must be more efficient against Toronto on Thursday. Another guy that must play well for the Knicks in this one is PF Kristaps Porzingis (14.0 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 2.0 BPG). Over the past five games, Porzingis is averaging 14.6 PPG, 6.8 RPG and 2.2 BPG. He has been on fire from the outside, shooting 41.7% from three and hitting two in each of the past five games as well. He did, however, struggle the last time he faced the Raptors. Porzingis had just eight points and six boards in the last meeting with Toronto and he has to be better than that in order for the Knicks to steal a win on the road.

The Knicks aren’t the only team dealing with an injury, as PG Kyle Lowry (20.9 PPG, 6.4 APG, 5.0 RPG, 2.2 SPG) had to exit Toronto’s win over Washington early. Lowry had been playing extremely well, scoring 29 points on 8-for-14 shooting from the field against the Wizards. He has a major advantage in quickness over all of the Knicks’ guards and it would be a very tough loss if he cannot go on Thursday. SG DeMar DeRozan (23.0 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 4.1 APG) will have an even bigger role for Toronto if Lowry can’t play in this game. DeRozan lit up the Knicks the last time these teams met, finishing with 29 points in 39 minutes of action. He also happens to be averaging 26.4 PPG over the past five contests and has hit seven threes in the past three games. DeRozan does not normally take a lot of outside shots, but if he can start hitting them consistently then he will be extremely tough to cover moving forward. It would really help him if C Jonas Valanciunas (12.4 PPG, 9.3 RPG< 1.3 BPG) can come through with a big performance on Thursday. Valanciunas is averaging 13.4 PPG and 11.4 RPG over the past five contests and has really controlled the paint on both ends of the floor. If he can have a big game offensively then the Raptors will have a good chance of winning, even if Lowry is out.