The Toronto Raptors beat the Washington Wizards 134-125 on Saturday, but Tuesday's assignment is more difficult. They'll host the New York Knicks, who are third in the Eastern Conference at 39-22 and are coming off a 114-89 win over the Western Conference heavyweight San Antonio Spurs. 

The Raptors will be without rookie Collin Murray-Boyles (thumb), but star forward Scottie Barnes is off the injury report despite having a quad contusion, per Sportsnet's Blake Murphy. Meanwhile, two-way players Jonathan Mogbo, Alijah Martin, and A.J. Lawson are back from their G League assignments.

Toronto is fifth in the East at 35-25, and it could gain ground on the fourth-place Cleveland Cavaliers (38-24) with a win on Tuesday.

Toronto hasn't beaten a winning team since its 103-101 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Jan. 25. The squad can't afford to keep that trend going in March, as it faces the Minnesota Timberwolves (38-23) on the road on Thursday, the Houston Rockets (38-22) on March 10, the Phoenix Suns (34-26) on March 13, the Detroit Pistons (45-14) on March 15, the Denver Nuggets (37-24) on March 20, the Suns again on March 22, the Orlando Magic (31-28) on March 29, and the Pistons again on March 31. Of course, that all follows Tuesday's New York matchup.

The Raptors have the talent to keep up with all of those teams, as they're led by two All-Stars in Barnes and forward Brandon Ingram. Barnes is averaging 19.1 points on 50.1 percent shooting (29.1 percent 3-point) with 8.2 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.6 blocks, and 1.4 steals over 34.2 minutes. Meanwhile, Ingram ranks 24th in the NBA with 21.9 points on 47.3 percent shooting (37 percent 3-point) and averages 5.8 rebounds with 3.8 assists across 34 minutes.

Additionally, guard Immanuel Quickley is 23rd in the league with six assists and has a 3.8 assist/turnover ratio, while big man Sandro Mamukelashvili is 21st with a 52 percent field goal clip. Toronto doesn't have the NBA's best roster, but it's more than respectable.

Long-term, the Raptors have question marks outside of Ingram and Barnes. Players like Quickley, guard RJ Barrett, and big man Jakob Poeltl aren't essential building blocks, but they can at least help the squad get to the playoffs for the first time since 2022 this season.

Tuesday's game will start at 7:30 p.m. ET on MSG Network, Sportsnet, and NBA League Pass.