Lou Williams and Kyle Lowry each scored 22 points, as the Toronto Raptors beat the New York Knicks, 118-108, on Sunday for their sixth consecutive win. Toronto improved their record to 22-6, which is still the best in the Eastern Conference.
Greivis Vasquez added 21 points, and Terrence Ross scored 18 for the Raptors, who never trailed in this contest.
Carmelo Anthony scored 28 for the Knicks, who lost their fifth straight game and have dropped the last 15 out of 16 games. Jason Smith had 16 points, and Jose Calderon finished with 15 points and 10 assists.
When Anthony was asked what it was like for the Knicks to be 20 games under .500, he responded, "It doesn't seem real."
The Knicks have now dropped to 5-25 on the season and currently have the most losses in the NBA. Record wise, they are tied with the Philadelphia 76ers. It has turned out to be a miserable season for the Knicks, who are unable to find some continuity on both ends of the floor.
What's worse is that the Knicks schedule doesn't get any easier, as they will face the Washington Wizards on Christmas day and then the Sacramento Kings, Portland Trail Blazers, and Los Angeles Clippers on the road to end the year.
The Raptors, meanwhile, will next visit the Chicago Bulls on Monday to begin a six game road trip. This will be their longest road trip of the season.
It will be a tough task for Toronto because, with the World Junior Hockey Championships moving into Air Canada Centre over the holidays, Toronto won't play at home again until January 8th when they go up against the Charlotte Hornets.
After Chicago, they'll take on the Los Angeles Clippers, Denver Nuggets, Portland Trail Blazers, Golden State Warriors, and Phoenix Suns. The stretch will be made even more difficult for the Raptors with the absence of their leading scorer DeMar DeRozan. He is sidelined with a torn tendon in his left groin.