The Knicks’ head-scratching start to the season continued Friday when they lost to a Pacers team without Tyrese Haliburton, 106-104. That was on the heels of losing to a reeling Cavs team on Wednesday, 115-107. Through 12 games, the hungover defending champions are just 6-6 SU and 4-8 ATS when they head to Toronto to play the Raptors on Sunday, the first of two straight games against their rivals from up north.
For as mediocre as the Knicks have been, the Raptors have been worse. They’re just 3-7 SU and ATS in their last 10 games, including three straight losses to the Sixers, Celtics and Grizzlies – all of them non-covers. To add injury to insult, Toronto will be without Scottie Barnes and continue to be without Kawhi Leonard.
To say New York has controlled this series of late is an understatement – they’re 10-0 SU and 9-1 ATS against the Raptors dating back to May of 2024, with every single win coming by at least five. In fact, only two of those victories were by fewer than 10 points. Now, none of those games came during this season, so take that with a grain of salt. However, given the Toronto injuries and recent struggles, this feels like an ideal get-right spot for the Knicks, who have no injuries currently reported. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t suspicious of this line, though. Why is it stuck at -4.5 with all the public love the Knicks are getting right now, and why can you still get a -105? That’s preventing me from making this a best bet, but I still think New York is worth some investment here.
Knicks vs Raptors prediction: New York Knicks -4.5 (-105) at the time of publishing. Playable to -5.
