Knicks vs. Raptors – Preview
Tuesday, 8:30pm ET • Scotiabank Arena
Our Pick: Raptors +5.5

Tonight’s Emirates NBA Cup quarterfinal in Toronto features the New York Knicks (16–7) visiting the Toronto Raptors (15–10), with the market making New York a road favorite and the Raptors catching roughly +5.5 at major sportsbooks like DraftKings, FanDuel and BetMGM. 

Tip is set for 8:30 p.m. ET at Scotiabank Arena, where Toronto has quietly built a strong home résumé. 

Under Mike Brown, the Knicks have transformed into an elite regular-season machine, posting a 122.8 offensive rating and +8.3 net rating, both among the league’s best. 

They’re scoring about 120.7 points per game on 47.4% from the field and 37.5% from three, a top-five mark from beyond the arc. 

That firepower, plus a nine-game winning streak over Toronto that includes a 116–94 blowout on Nov. 30, explains why the Knicks are laying mid-single digits on the road. 

Still, New York is only 3–6 on the road this season and just 2–9 against the spread in its last 11 away games, a notable vulnerability for a sizable road favorite. 

Toronto’s underlying profile is stronger than recent headlines suggest. The Raptors own a 116.2 offensive rating, 113.6 defensive rating and +2.6 net rating, sitting fourth in the East at 15–10. 

At home, they’re 8–5 overall and 7–3 in their last 10 games at Scotiabank, while going 7–4 against teams above .500 and 13–6 versus Eastern Conference opponents. 

Defensively, Toronto ranks among the league’s top-10 units, allowing 113.8 points per game and 111.0 per 100 possessions, and it holds opponents to roughly 33.3% from deep—third-best in the NBA—directly challenging New York’s three-point-driven attack. 

Injuries matter on both sides. The Knicks are down key guard Miles McBride and shooter Landry Shamet, while Karl-Anthony Towns is a game-time decision, thinning their backcourt depth and secondary scoring. 

Toronto remains without R.J. Barrett and may again miss Immanuel Quickley, but Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram headline an offense that has generally kept games close; the Raptors are 11–6 in contests decided by 10 points or fewer. 

Yes, Toronto enters on a 1–5 stretch and an 0–7 ATS slide, all without Barrett, which partly explains the generous number. 

But a strong home record, a top-tier perimeter defense, and positive splits against winning teams suggest that +5.5 gives the Raptors real leeway to stay inside the spread—even if New York ultimately advances in a tight, high-leverage Cup environment.