Raptors Down The Knicks 118-108 Prior To Heading Out On Long Road Trip

A thing I wondered about during the second quarter of this game: could the Raptors go 16-0 against the rest of the division this season? It's possible, right?

Against the Knicks this afternoon, the Raptors got off to a strong start in the first quarter, scoring 33 points led by 10 points from Terrence Ross, who set the tone by hitting two three-pointers in the first period and threw down a thunderous dunk in the third quarter that was the highlight of the game.

Ahead 33-25 after one, the Knicks remained close and cut the lead to seven points at the half thanks to Carmelo Anthony, who scored 15 points on 6-for-13 shooting in the first half and finished with 28 points, five rebounds and three assists in 38 minutes.

'Melo is still a tremendous individual scorer, but on this team it's depressing to see him waste away on a team that has more losses than the Sixers so far this season. But in the end, the Raptors were too much, pulling away to a relatively easy 118-108 victory.

Prior to the game, coach Dwane Casey said that Landry Fields would not be available as he did not pass a secondary concussion test after the nasty fall he took in Detroit on Friday. James Johnson started in his place against the Knicks.

The Raptors bench got a boost from Greivis Vasquez, who had his whole offensive game on display: shooting from three, using his floater while he attacked the basket, and finishing at the rim. Vasquez finished with 21 points, four rebounds and five assists. The bench, as usual, helped the Raptors to another home victory. Lou Williams scored 22 points off the bench in 26 minutes.

Toronto improves to 22-6 with the win, and will be in Chicago tomorrow night to start a six-game road trip that won't see them back at the Air Canada Centre until January 8th.

What did everyone think?