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Hot-shooting Crawford leads Knicks into Toronto

Feb 24, 2008 - 6:07 PM New York (17-38) at Toronto (29-24) 6:00 pm EST

TORONTO (Ticker) -- The New York Knicks look to ride the hot hand of Jamal Crawford to a home-and-home sweep of the Toronto Raptors on Sunday.

Crawford burned the Raptors for a season-high 43 points - including 21 in the final eight minutes - Friday as the Knicks posted a 103-99 win in New York.

Crawford surpassed his previous season high of 35 points and turned in his fifth career 40-point game. He made 15-of-29 shots, including 6-of-16 3-pointers.

"When he's shooting it like the way he was shooting it (Friday) and things were going for him, you kind of live with the bad shots because he has a way of making them," New York coach Isiah Thomas said.

The Knicks, who have won three of five since an eight-game skid, hope Crawford will continue his success against Toronto. He scored 27 points in a 99-90 home loss to the Raptors on January 11 and scored 50 at Toronto on April 12, 2004.

Crawford's explosion on Friday denied the Raptors a third straight win. Now Toronto will look for revenge after being held under 100 points for only the third time in the last 12 games.

The spark plug for an offense averaging 107.3 points in that span has been Jose Calderon, a third-year guard from Spain who is averaging 17.2 points and 10.4 assists in his last 12 games.

Calderon and All-Star forward Chris Bosh will try to help the Raptors beat the Knicks for the 10th time in the last 13 meetings.