The Knicks are heading to Las Vegas, and they earned that ticket with their most dominant tournament performance yet. Behind Jalen Brunson’s scorching night and a suffocating second-quarter surge, they dismantled the Toronto Raptors 117-101 to advance to the cup semifinals for the first time in the event’s three-year history.
Brunson was spectacular from the jump, pouring in 35 points on an ultra-efficient 13-19 shooting and drilling 6 of his 9 attempts from deep. He dictated pace, punished every coverage, and set the tone with 26 first-half points, his most in any half this season.
Josh Hart delivered one of his best offensive outings of the year as well, finishing with 21 points on 8-11 shooting, attacking relentlessly and keeping the Knicks’ momentum humming.
Karl-Anthony Towns added 14 points and 16 rebounds, Mikal Bridges chipped in 15, and OG Anunoby scored 13 in his return to Toronto, but the turning point came long before the box score got padded.
The Raptors opened with energy and took a 17-11 lead, later carrying a 39-35 advantage into the end of the first quarter. That was the last stretch in which things felt even remotely comfortable for the home team. The Knicks flipped the entire game in the second quarter, overwhelming Toronto with a 34-13 blitz that silenced Scotiabank Arena and effectively broke control of the contest.
Once the Knicks found their rhythm, the home team stopped mattering.
And perhaps that is the quiet story within the story: after early-season struggles on the road, a team that started 1-5 away from home has now won three of its last four outside Madison Square Garden. They are still a dominant 13-1 at home, but this recent trend hints at a group that’s learning to carry its identity anywhere.
This marks a real breakthrough in the tournament context as well. In each of the past two seasons, they cleared the group stage only to fall short in the knockout round – Milwaukee ended their run in 2023, and Atlanta did it last year. Now, for the first time, they have pushed through to the semifinals.
Awaiting them in Las Vegas is the Orlando Magic, with the winner advancing to the cup final to face whichever team emerges from the opposite bracket: the Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns, San Antonio Spurs or Los Angeles Lakers.
The stakes climb from here, and the Knicks arrive looking more dangerous than ever.
rady
KnicksOnline.com founder. Software tester by day time, sports shooter by free time. Rocking with the orange and blue since the mid 90s.