New York survives a close finish at Madison Square Garden
Jalen Brunson scored 20 points as the New York Knicks defeated the Toronto Raptors 122–120 at Madison Square Garden on Thursday, October 15, completing their preseason schedule with a narrow home victory. The result came on Friday morning, October 16, in Philippine time.
Mikal Bridges and Andre Drummond added 14 points apiece for New York. Toronto’s Scottie Barnes finished with 23 points, making nine of 15 field-goal attempts and four of five from three-point range. He also recorded four blocks, four assists and three rebounds in 28 minutes.
The closing possessions decided a game that Toronto had brought back within reach. Tyler Kolek broke a late tie with a three-pointer with 53.2 seconds remaining, putting the Knicks ahead 120–117. Tyler Nickel subsequently made two free throws that proved important when the Raptors responded with another three.
Toronto still had an opportunity to tie after a New York backcourt violation with 9.6 seconds left. Jaden Bradley drove to the basket but missed with 2.4 seconds remaining. Nimari Burnett collected the offensive rebound, but the Raptors did not get another attempt away before time expired.
The Knicks therefore ended their exhibition schedule with a win built on contributions from both their established players and the reserves involved in the final sequence. Barnes’ efficient scoring and defensive production gave Toronto a significant individual positive despite the two-point defeat.
The margin also underlined the limited distance between the sides on the night. A preseason victory does not affect the regular-season table, but New York avoided surrendering a late lead in its final competitive rehearsal.