Lowry leads Raptors to 104-99 win over Knicks

The Toronto Raptors , powered by Kyle Lowry ‘s 22 points, beat the hosts New York Knicks 104-99 at their home stadium on Saturday.

The match also marked the Spaniard Marc Gasol ‘s debut for the Toronto team, who acquired the three-time All-Star from the Memphis Grizzlies before the trade deadline expired on Thursday.

Gasol entered the court towards the end of the first quarter and he netted seven points in the 19 minutes he played.

The Spaniard made three field goals, collected six rebounds and made an assist.

“I am just trying to learn their tendencies and learn their plays as well, learn their schemes defensively. There is a lot of learning that has to go on. I have only been here for 24 hours. But it is really exciting,” Gasol said of his new team postgame.

Asked about the Spanish player after the match, Lowry said: “Think the playmaking ability, the big body, the defensive mindset, scoring - I mean Marc is an all NBA defender, he can do everything.”

Raptors head coach too had words of praise for their new celebrated member of the team following the game, which he felt the team “didn’t play great.”

“I think for a guy who has not been with us, you could see the offense moving pretty well. He is a guy that is in the right spots to keep things flowing. I thought he looked really, really good,” Nurse said of Gasol.

Congolese-Spanish player Serge Ibaka posted a double-double of 15 points and 13 rebounds, whereas Norman Powell contributed 14 points.

Ibaka, during this 29-minute stay inside the court, made five of 10 field goals and also made four assists.

The Raptors, having recorded their fourth successive victory, are leaders of the Atlantic Division with a 41-16 record.

The Knicks attack was led by Kevin Knox who netted 20 points.

Mitchell Robinson contributed 15 points, while Kadeem Allen chipped in with another 14.

The New York team suffered their 16th straight defeat and are now at the bottom of the Atlantic Division with a 10-45 record. By losing to the Toronto Raptors, the Knicks have tied their own record of the 2014-15 season.