Siakam scores career-high 52 as Raptors snap 6-game losing skid with win over Knicks | CBC Sports

Pascal Siakam scored a career-high 52 points and the Toronto Raptors snapped the New York Knicks’ NBA-leading eight-game winning streak 113-106 Wednesday night.

R.J. Barrett scored with 30 points and Julius Randle finished with 30 points and had 13 rebounds. Immanuel Quickley added 20 points on 7-for-10 shooting in his first start of the season.

Toronto led by as many as 11 points in the fourth quarter before the Knicks used a 17-5 run to take a one-point lead at 102-101. New York limited Siakam to one field goal in the fourth quarter and held him to nine points in the period.

But VanVleet picked up the slack for Toronto, hitting two 3-pointers and scoring 10 points. Toronto closed the game on a 12-5 run.

The Knicks had allowed an average of 98 points during their win streak, but no answer for Siakam, who nearly matched his career high (44 points) by scoring 43 in three quarters. Siakam had 34 points total in the second and third quarters, including Toronto’s final 17 points over a seven-minute span in the third.

Siakam scored 26 in the first half, including eight during an 11-0 run in the second quarter that turned a one-point game to a double-digit Toronto lead. Siakam had 17 of the Raptors’ 35 points in the second, and Anunoby had seven of his 11 in the second.

Barrett kept New York in the game by scoring 19 points in the first half. Despite shooting 53 per cent in the first half, the Knicks had 11 turnovers and trailed by as many as 14 in the first period and by 10 at halftime.

WATCH | Raptors losing streak extended to 6 games following OT defeat to 76ers: 

Raptors losing streak extended to 6 games

A season high 38 points for Pascal Siakam wasn’t enough as Toronto fell to Philadelphia 104-101 in overtime.

But New York stormed out of the gate in the third quarter, taking the lead with a 13-2 run that was keyed by Quickley’s two 3-pointers.

The NBA announced it docked the Knicks a second-round pick in the 2025 NBA draft after “finding that (they) engaged in free agency discussions involving Jalen Brunson prior to the date such discussions were permitted.” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau refused to comment on the matter.

Toronto guard Gary Trent, Jr. (quad) and centre Khem Birch (non-COVID illness) did not play. Trent missed his fourth straight game. New York guard Quentin Grimes (ankle) missed his first game since Nov. 16 after sustaining the injury against Golden State on Tuesday.

The Raptors face the Cavaliers in Cleveland on Friday as the Knicks host the Bulls.

WATCH | Irving’s buzzer-beating game-winner silences Raptors crowd:

Nets’ Irving hits 3-pointer buzzer-beater to defeat Raptors

Brooklyn beats Toronto 119-116 with Kyrie Irving’s 3-point game-winning shot at the buzzer. The Nets win their fifth consecutive game while the Raptors drop their fourth straight.