Fri Mar 28 21:55:56 2008

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Raptors sail to easy win over Knicks

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Toronto, ON (Sports Network) - Chris Bosh scored 29 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as the Toronto Raptors never trailed in a 103-95 win over the lowly New York Knicks at Air Canada Centre.

Rasho Nesterovic scored 18 for the Raptors, who have won two straight, but have just three wins in their last 10 games. Anthony Parker had 15 points, while T.J. Ford contributed 10 points and nine assists.

The win, coupled with Philadelphia's loss to Phoenix, gave the Raptors a half- game lead over the Sixers for the sixth spot in the Eastern Conference. Toronto is also a half-game behind the Wizards, who play in Sacramento later Friday.

Jamal Crawford poured in 26 points to pace Knicks, who fell to 2-12 in March with both wins coming over the Miami Heat. Jared Jeffries added 21 points and a season-high 10 rebounds, while Quentin Richardson scored 20 and grabbed 10 boards in his return to the lineup after missing seven games with a sprained knee.

New York was without the services of Zach Randolph, who sat with the flu, and Nate Robinson, who was nursing a sprained right knee.

Toronto took the lead in the opening seconds of the game and never relinquished, as the Raptors scored the final six points of the first to take a 32-23 lead after 12 minutes.

After trading baskets at the beginning of the second quarter, the Raptors used a 12-4 run to stretch their lead to 17, capped off when a dunk by Andrea Bargnani and a three from Carlos Delfino put Toronto ahead 47-30 with 4:56 left in the half.

New York responded with a 14-0 burst, closing within three on David Lee's slam with 50 seconds left, but Bosh drained a jumper from the elbow with 1.2 ticks left that gave Toronto a 49-44 halftime edge.

The Raptors continued to control the game in the third quarter, using a 7-0 run to increase the lead to 71-59. New York closed to within seven in the final minutes of the period, but the Raptors led 76-68 heading into the final frame.

Jeffries' layup brought the Knicks within 83-76 just under four minutes into the fourth, but Parker responded with a three from the left corner.

After Nesterovic tipped in Bosh's miss with 3:39 to play, it was again a 10- point edge at 95-85. Toronto continued to hold New York at bay, and the Knicks never got closer than eight in the final minutes as Toronto coasted to the win.

Game Notes

Bosh recorded his 25th double-double of the season...Lee also recorded a double-double for the Knicks with 15 points and 12 boards...Bargnani scored 12 points for Toronto...The Raptors shot 50.7 percent from the field and held the Knicks to 39.3 percent shooting...Toronto finished 7-of-23 from beyond the arc, extending its NBA record to 768 games with at least one three-pointer.