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Knicks beat Raptors to stay hot

Dec 5, 2010 - 11:15 PM Toronto, ON (Sports Network) - Amare Stoudemire led all scorers with 31 points and grabbed 16 rebounds, as the New York Knicks defeated the Toronto Raptors, 116-99, at the Air Canada Centre.

Wilson Chandler netted 21 points and Raymond Felton contributed 18 points and eight assists for the Knicks, who have won seven straight on the road for the first time since December 27, 1994 - January 22, 1995. New York has won nine of its last 10 games overall. Landry Fields posted a double-double with 15 points and 10 boards.

"He plays at an ease," Knicks head coach Mike D'Antoni said about Stoudemire. "It's very comforting to know you can throw it over to him and he's going to get a wideopen jump shot or he's going to dunk it or go to the foul line. He's just been playing terrific."

Jerryd Bayless scored 23 points off the bench to lead Toronto, which had won six of eight coming into the contest. Amir Johnson went for 22 points and career-high 16 rebounds in defeat.

"We had a difficult time guarding their guys," Raptors head coach Jay Triano said. "It's a tough job. You have to get into help on Stoudemire rolling and you also have to make sure you close out on the three-point shooters. We didn't do a very good job of running them off the three-point line."

New York jumped out to a 33-18 lead after the opening quarter, and Toney Douglas' finger-roll near the midway point of the second kept the Knicks up by double-digits, 42-30.

The Raptors were down 57-41 with 1:38 left in the half, but closed with a 9-3 run to get within 60-50 at the break.

Stoudemire's dunk approaching the middle of the third put the Knicks ahead by 16 at 78-62, but Bayless hit a three to finish a 9-0 run that got the Raptors within 78-71 with 2:52 left in the quarter. New York led, 82-75, at the end of three.

Stoudemire hit a pair of jumpers to start a 9-0 burst early in the fourth, and after Shawne Williams finished it with a tip-in, the visitors were up 91-77.

After Bayless hit from behind the arc to get Toronto within single-digits, 97-88, with 6:08 remaining, Williams answered with a three and Felton added a floater, and the Knicks cruised the rest of the way.

Game Notes

Despite the loss, the Raptors have still won 11 of their last 14 against New York in Toronto...Williams ended with 14 points off the bench for the Knicks, who shot 48.9 percent from the field and made 12 from three-point range...Andrea Bargnani ended with 16 points for Toronto, which made 46 percent of its shots.