Julius Randle, Jalen Brunson lead Knicks to first win in Toronto since 2015

TORONTO — Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson didn’t fare well in the initial returns of NBA All-Star fan voting earlier this week, but they continued making their respective cases for inclusion Friday night north of the border. 

On the one year anniversary of his infamous thumbs-down gesture and “shut the f- -k up” explanation directed at booing Garden fans last season, Randle pumped in 32 points and the Knicks held on in the fourth quarter for their fourth straight win following a five-game losing skid, 112-108, over the Raptors at Scotiabank Arena. 

It also was the Knicks’ first road win over the Raptors since Nov. 10, 2015, breaking a streak of 11 consecutive losses (10 in Toronto, and one in Tampa, Fla., during the pandemic). 

“Oh my goodness, it’s about time we won one of those type of games,” Randle said. “We made free throws down the end and executed down the stretch. And they don’t hit every single ridiculous shot.” 

Julius Randle, left, led the Knicks with 32 points, including six 3-pointers. NBAE via Getty Images

Indeed, the Knicks boosted a three-point lead entering the fourth quarter to 16 with 4:01 remaining before Toronto slashed it to two with under a minute to play. But unlike their giveaway loss in Dallas on Dec. 27, the Knicks closed it out for coach Tom Thibodeau’s 100th win with the franchise. 

A 3-pointer by Gary Trent Jr. drew the Raptors within two points with 42 seconds to go, but Brunson converted a three-point play at the other end and then sank one of two free throws for a four-point lead with 13 seconds remaining. 

Brunson contributed 26 points and eight assists, Quentin Grimes added 16 points and Mitchell Robinson finished with a double-double of 10 points and a game-high 18 rebounds. 

Jalen Brunson had 26 points, eight assists and five rebounds Friday against the Raptors. NBAE via Getty Images

“Really, it’s a learning experience. We know what to do, what not to do,” said Robinson, who fouled out in the final minute. “Gotta keep learning and get better at it.” 

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Randle continued his month-long All-Star push with five of his six 3-pointers and 19 of his points in the first quarter. He is averaging 29.3 points and 12.3 rebounds per game over his last 16 appearances, since Dec. 7. 

“The way he’s playing is just unheard of,” Brunson said. “He’s playing really well. He’s playing with confidence and he’s having fun. So it’s really awesome to see how he’s been able to kind of bounce back [from last season]. 

“I think he still has a lot more to prove, not just to everyone else, but to himself because he has a whole ’nother level he can unleash.” 

After shredding the Knicks for a career-high 52 points in Toronto’s win at the Garden on Dec. 21, Pascal Siakam finished with 18 points on 4-for-14 shooting from the field, with the smaller Grimes often matching up against him. 

Fred VanVleet scored 28 and Trent had 27 for the Raptors, who have lost 14 of their last 19 to fall to 16-23 overall. 

“He’s a load to deal with. He’s having a monster season, so I think guys like him, you don’t guard him individually,” Thibodeau said of Siakam. “You have to guard him with the team.” 

Julius Randle is averaging 29.3 points and 12.3 rebounds in his last 16 games. NBAE via Getty Images

The Raptors should have approached Randle that way in the early going, but he buried five 3-pointers in the opening five minutes and netted 19 of the Knicks’ first 23 points as they grabbed a 30-26 lead through one quarter. 

Randle played the entire quarter and remained on the floor for the first 3:58 of the second, as the Knicks opened that quarter on an 11-2 run and expanded their lead to as many as 17. Randle upped his scoring output to 22 by halftime, and Grimes and Brunson netted 10 apiece through two quarters for a 57-47 advantage at intermission. 

Toronto slashed that cushion to one on VanVleet’s banked-in triple in the final minute of the third. Randle had drained his sixth trey of the night and Brunson also connected from beyond the arc earlier in the quarter as the Knicks carried an 81-78 lead into the final period. 

“I thought [Randle] was huge. I thought [his start] gave us a lot of confidence,” Thibodeau said. “When a guy comes out like that, it sort of sets the tone for the game.”