Follow Us on Facebook Follow Us on Twitter VI Mobile College Basketball March Mayhem Picks College Basketball March Mayhem Picks VegasInsider.com VegasInsider.com
Handicapper Bios Sports Picks Free Odds Contests Sportsbook
Sports Betting Home NFL NBANHLMLBNCAA FBNCAA BKGolfAutoHorsesBoxingVI More Sports
 
NBA Scores Matchups Teams Standings Schedules Injuries News
 
 · Latest News
 · Player Updates
 · Transactions
Buy Picks Vegas Odds
 
 · Vegas Odds
 · Offshore Odds
 · Future Odds
 
Recap: Raptors 87, Knicks 106
Line Movements
Date: March 20, 2012 7:30 PM EDT
  

NEW YORK (AP) - Four straight easy victories, and now a big test ahead for the New York Knicks.

Defeated and deflated by Philadelphia 10 days ago, the Knicks are rolling into the rematch.

``Guys are playing at a very high, confident level right now,' Carmelo Anthony said. ``We just want to bottle that up and move on and keep it going.'

Advertisement

Amare Stoudemire had 22 points and 12 rebounds, Jeremy Lin added 18 points and 10 assists, and the Knicks improved to 4-0 under Mike Woodson by beating the Toronto Raptors 106-87 on Tuesday night.

Anthony and Tyson Chandler each scored 17 points for the Knicks, who bring a week's worth of momentum to Philadelphia on Wednesday night for a matchup with the Atlantic Division-leading 76ers. The Knicks rode another night of balanced scoring and renewed defensive intensity to a comfortable lead for most of the final three quarters, leaping in celebration after a series of strong defensive plays in the fourth.

``Everybody feels great. Having fun, enjoying the game of basketball, and that's what it's about,' Stoudemire said. ``When you enjoy doing your job, then it makes it much easier to play and that's what's happening right now.'

DeMar DeRozan scored 17 points for the Raptors. Jose Calderon had 11 points and nine assists in his return from a five-game absence with a sprained right ankle, but backup Jerryd Bayless was lost to a left hip pointer in the second half.

The Knicks were right around their stats through Woodson's first three games, when they allowed 89 points per game on 39 percent shooting while averaging 112.7 points and outscoring opponents by 16 per game.

``They're a tenacious, different team,' Toronto coach Dwane Casey said. ``It's amazing, their tenacity, the way they attack. If you don't meet it, they take you out.'

It's a complete turnaround since perhaps their most deflating effort under Mike D'Antoni, a 106-94 home loss to the 76ers on March 11, when the coach lamented that the Knicks didn't always play hard. He lasted just one more game before deciding to resign last Wednesday.

Effort hasn't been a problem under Woodson, particularly on the defensive end. Anthony even acknowledged Monday playing with a defensive energy that wasn't there earlier in the season, perhaps because the new coach has stressed accountability from his top players.

Asked his reaction to Anthony's comments, Woodson said: ``I can't explain that, I can't. I wish I could. We probably wouldn't be sitting in this position that we're sitting in today, fighting for a playoff spot.'

There's still plenty of time to get one, especially if the Knicks keep playing like this. They came in a half-game ahead of Milwaukee for eighth place in the Eastern Conference, and despite their inconsistency, are only four games behind the 76ers.

They kept slapping at balls in the fourth to put the game out of reach. Chandler got his hands on one fourth-quarter pass, then Anthony stole it after the Raptors recovered, leading the break and hooking up with Chandler for an alley-oop slam with 5:11 left that made it 95-77 and had the Knicks jumping around in celebration near midcourt.

``It's fun. It's fun to watch,' Woodson said. ``Make no mistake about it, it was our defense that got us the spurt that we needed, and you know that's what good teams are supposed to do. We've just got to bottle it up, man, and just continue to do it.'

Andrea Bargnani scored 15 points but shot just 5 of 15 for the Raptors, who finished 2-3 on a five-game trip. A victory would have given them a second winning five-game trip this season.

The teams' previous meeting came during the height of Linsanity, when Lin made a tiebreaking 3-pointer with a half-second left to give the Knicks a 90-87 victory in Toronto on Feb. 14. Lin scored 27 points that night, but he no longer needs to be the scorer he was then, with many more weapons surrounding him.

Anthony, Stoudemire and Chandler combined for 19 points on 9-of-11 shooting in the first quarter, helping the Knicks take a 27-24 lead. Defenses ruled the second quarter, when both teams show below 40 percent. The Knicks led 53-44 at halftime.

The Knicks pushed the lead to 15 with a five-point possession with 7:47 left in the third quarter, as Landry Fields made a layup while Raptors starting center Aaron Gray was fouling Chandler away from the ball. Gray was hit with two technical fouls and ejected for his reaction, and Lin made both free throws before Chandler hit another.

The lead grew to 16 before the Knicks took a 79-68 advantage to the fourth, when they had five steals, turned seven turnovers into 11 points and led by as much as 23.

``I think we just didn't execute the way we were supposed to and we got a couple of turnovers in a row,' Calderon said.

Notes: Woodson became the second coach to win his first four games with a new team by 14 or more points, joining Bill Sharman of the 1971-72 Lakers. ... The teams meet again Friday in Toronto. ... The Knicks were again without Baron Davis (strained right hamstring). ... The Raptors' 3-2 trip was from Jan. 22-29 with stops against the Clippers, Phoenix, Utah, Denver and New Jersey. That was their first winning trip of five games or more since Nov. 10-18, 2001.

AP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service

Copyright 2013
The Associated Press
All Rights Reserved

 CLOSING LAS VEGAS LINE
 Team  ML   SPR   O/U 
 TOR  +350   +9   199 
 NYK  -450   -9   
LAS VEGAS LINE MOVEMENTS

 CLOSING SPORTSBOOK LINE
 Team  ML   SPR   O/U 
 TOR  +380   +9   199 
 NYK  -480   -9   
OFFSHORE LINE MOVEMENTS

 BETTING TRENDS
 Team  ML   SPR   O/U 
 TOR  29%   22%   57% 
 NYK  71%   78%   43% 
BT MOVEMENTS

 NBA RECAPS
 Tuesday, Mar 20
 
  •  Clippers at Pacers
7:05 PM EDT
  •  Suns at Heat
7:35 PM EDT
  •  Raptors at Knicks
7:35 PM EDT
  •  Lakers at Rockets
8:05 PM EDT
  •  Thunder at Jazz
9:05 PM EDT
  •  Bucks at Trail Blazers
10:05 PM EDT
  •  Grizzlies at Kings
10:05 PM EDT
 
 
 
  
GOLD Membership
Over 150 Member Plays free each month. Signup Today!
 
 

NFL
NFL Sports Picks
NFL Vegas Odds
NFL Online Odds
NFL Matchups
NFL Scores

More Sports
Golf
Auto Racing
Horse Racing
Boxing
WNBA

MLB
MLB Sports Picks
MLB Vegas Odds
MLB Online Odds
MLB Matchups
MLB Scores

Features
Free Odds
Contests
Newsletters
VI Radio
Las Vegas Travel
Follow us on Twitter
Add us on Google+
Join us on Facebook

NBA
NBA Sports Picks
NBA Vegas Odds
NBA Online Odds
NBA Matchups
NBA Scores

Sports Betting Tools
Live Odds
Mobile Odds
Parlay Calculator
Gaming Terms
TV Listings
Handicapping Records
Sports Betting
About Sports Betting
Sportsbook Reviews

NHL
NHL Sports Picks
NHL Vegas Odds
NHL Online Odds
NHL Matchups
NHL Scores

VegasInsider Info
About Us
Help Center
Privacy Policy
Terms of Use
Refund Policy
Contact Us
User Feedback

College Football
NCAA FB Sports Picks
NCAA FB Vegas Odds
NCAA FB Online Odds
NCAA FB Matchups
NCAA FB Scores

Sportsbooks
CarbonSports · Review
SportBet · Review
Sportsbook · Review
TopBet.eu · Review

College Basketball
NCAA BK Sports Picks
NCAA BK Vegas Odds
NCAA BK Online Odds
NCAA BK Matchups
NCAA BK Scores

Rotation Schedules
Baseball: June 03 - Aug 07

Copyright © 1997-2013, VegasInsider.com Inc., The Global Leader In Sports Gaming Information. All rights reserved.
For questions or comments, please contact us at 1-800-211-4759.