VanVleet leads Raptors 120-105 over Knicks

Fred VanVleet drilled seven three-point jumpers and 35 points total to help the Toronto Raptors dispatch the shorthanded New York Knicks 120-105 on Sunday.

TORONTO – Fred VanVleet drilled seven three-point jumpers and 35 points total to help the Toronto Raptors dispatch the shorthanded New York Knicks 120-105 on Sunday.

The victory pushed the Raptors (16-17) past the Knicks (17-20) and into 10th in the Eastern Conference standings, the final spot for the play-in tournament after the regular season.

VanVleet’s performance came on the heels of a 31-point outing in Toronto’s win against the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday, giving him back-to-back games of 30-plus points for the first time in his career.

It was the fifth time VanVleet has checked in with 30 or more points in a game this season.

Chris Boucher of Montreal came off the bench to chip in 12 points for the Raptors.

Toronto won their second straight before about 100 family members and friends at Scotiabank Arena due to provincial-mandated COVID-19 crowd restrictions.

This was the first game Raptors head coach Nick Nurse had a full complement of significant players this season. Siakam missed the first 10 games because of off-season shoulder surgery, and then COVID-19 cases ripped through the roster last month.

The Knicks were without Kemba Walker (left knee), Derrick Rose (right ankle surgery), Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson. The latter two were added to the league’s health and safety protocols list on Thursday and Saturday, respectively.