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Bosh steps up to help Raptors clinch third playoff spot

Apr 16, 2007 - 4:45 AM TORONTO (Ticker) -- Chris Bosh did everything but pass out water bottles for the Toronto Raptors.

The Raptors leaned on Bosh and he delivered a jumper and two free throws in the final seconds to seal a 107-105 victory over the Knicks.

Bosh scored 23 points, grabbed eight rebounds and recorded a season-high seven assists while playing all 48 minutes.

"Whatever it takes to get a win that's what it takes," Bosh said. "We knew they were going to play for pride and they played a pretty good game so it's good that we were able to get that win and lock up the third seed."

Joey Graham tied a career high with 19 points and Anthony Parker also scored 19 for the Raptors, who clinched the Eastern Conference's third playoff spot.

"I'm excited, this is my first season making it in and we want to finish off this season on a positive note to take it into the playoffs," Graham said.

Bosh noted the importance of home-court advantage, particularly for his squad.

"It's big for us because teams play better at home and it's also good for us because we don't have much playoff experience on this team," he said. "To have our home crowd behind us will help get guys going in the right direction."

Steve Francis provided a spark for the Knicks, scoring 28 points in his first game back after missing the previous two with a sprained ankle.

After Malik Rose cut Toronto's lead after two free throws with 1:06 left, Bosh made a fadeaway jumper to make it 102-99 with 45.8 seconds remaining.

Eddy Curry scored 28 points for New York, which was without Stephon Marbury for the fourth straight game, as well as David Lee, who played just two minutes on Saturday after re-aggravating his injured right leg.

"We're a tough bunch of guys and nobody wants to get embarrassed out there and we want to show that we will keep playing no matter what," Curry said.