Coming off a four-game win streak on the road, the Toronto Raptors face the New York Knicks at home Wednesday night. Toronto is tied with the In-Season Tournament champions for the third seed in the Eastern Conference, so tonight’s game is essential for future tiebreakers in the standings going into the postseason.

While they are on a three-game win streak of their own, the Knicks have not played their best basketball of late. In fact, the last three games were wins against the 12-win Sacramento Kings, 12-win Brooklyn Nets, and Philadelphia 76ers without Joel Embiid or Paul George. Before the win-streak, the Knicks went just 2-9 over an 11-game stretch. 

New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) | © Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Players from both teams have had to suffer through trade rumors for weeks, and now, as both teams are potential landing destinations for 10-time All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo, the trade deadline has only become more significant. Tonight’s game can either be seen as a break from the stress or an addition to it for players who are still trying to prove their worth. 

Toronto released its official injury report ahead of the battle for the third seed, which included multiple familiar names. 

Starting center Jakob Poeltl has been ruled out against New York as he continues to rehab from his lower back strain. Murray-Boyles has been listed as questionable as he continues to nurse a thumb contusion; he has been questionable going into every game since the injury, before being ultimately ruled out shortly ahead of game time. 

The Raptors have had several injury issues throughout the past month, but it seems they may be finally coming to a close soon. While Poeltl is still without a timetable to return, he is back in the Raptors facility receiving treatment and participating in non-contact workouts. Murray-Boyles continues to receive the questionable tag, hopefully implying he should be back any day. 

New York has been exceptional all year at shooting the three, rebounding, and limiting turnovers. This is a very similar situation to their matchup with the Portland Trail Blazers, but the difference is that the Knicks are much more precise and efficient on offense. With one of the slowest paces in the league, the Knicks are exceptional at picking apart half-court defenses and attacking the glass on both ends. 

While they are only 10th in the league in rebounds per game, they are fourth in both offensive and defensive rebound %, which indicates the percentage of available rebounds obtained. The other difference between Portland and New York is the star power derived from All-Stars Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns. 

New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) | © Brad Penner-Imagn Images

As seen against Chet Holmgren and the Oklahoma City Thunder, Scottie Barnes can hang with anyone in the league on the defensive end. If he can continue to hold his own in the paint against Towns, and the Raptors can efficiently switch against Brunson’s top-tier pick-and-roll effectiveness, they will give themselves a chance to produce their first five-game win streak since the 13-1 stretch in November.