Today we take a look at the matchup between Toronto and the New York Knicks. Both teams are currently in direct playoff positions — the Knicks sit third and Toronto fifth in the Eastern Conference.

Toronto have won 3 of their last 5 games, but context matters. The win over Washington (134:125) looks good offensively, but the Wizards are among the weakest teams in the league. The only truly valuable win was against Milwaukee. The losses to the Spurs and Oklahoma exposed the Raptors’ limitations against stronger opponents. Moreover, Oklahoma were missing key players like Shai and Mitchell. Overall, Toronto’s performances have been inconsistent and not entirely convincing.

New York, on the other hand, look more stable. They’ve won 4 of their last 5 games — defeating the Spurs, Bucks, Chicago Bulls, and Houston. These are quality opponents, including teams from the upper half of the standings. Their only loss came against another strong side, Cleveland.

The head-to-head record is crystal clear. Toronto last beat New York in 2013, and since then have lost 11 straight meetings. The vast majority of those games ended in double-digit margins (last five: 119:92, 117:101, 116:94, 121:115, 112:98), many by more than 20 points.

Today we take a look at the matchup between Toronto and the New York Knicks. Both teams are currently in direct playoff positions — the Knicks sit third and Toronto fifth in the Eastern Conference.

Toronto have won 3 of their last 5 games, but context matters. The win over Washington (134:125) looks good offensively, but the Wizards are among the weakest teams in the league. The only truly valuable win was against Milwaukee. The losses to the Spurs and Oklahoma exposed the Raptors’ limitations against stronger opponents. Moreover, Oklahoma were missing key players like Shai and Mitchell. Overall, Toronto’s performances have been inconsistent and not entirely convincing.

New York, on the other hand, look more stable. They’ve won 4 of their last 5 games — defeating the Spurs, Bucks, Chicago Bulls, and Houston. These are quality opponents, including teams from the upper half of the standings. Their only loss came against another strong side, Cleveland.

The head-to-head record is crystal clear. Toronto last beat New York in 2013, and since then have lost 11 straight meetings. The vast majority of those games ended in double-digit margins (last five: 119:92, 117:101, 116:94, 121:115, 112:98), many by more than 20 points.

Milwaukee (11th place in the East) enters this game on an unpleasant streak of four consecutive losses. Their performances seem inconsistent, as before that they could boast one of the best forms in the NBA. However, I see this matchup as an ideal opportunity for a fresh start.

Utah (14th in the West) belongs among the weakest teams in the league and their situation is tragic. Apart from yesterday’s win against Washington, they had a streak of seven consecutive losses. Their results have certainly been strongly affected by major absences. Kessler, Markkanen, George, Jackson, Collier and several others will not play today against the Bucks. And these are not just role players – five of them are among their best players. Today, Utah will essentially field their “Utah Jazz B” team against Milwaukee.

The head-to-head matchups also slightly favor the Bucks, as they won the last two meetings by 15 and 23 points.