Amar’e Stoudemire had 19 points and 10 rebounds in his debut with his new team to lead the New York Knicks to a 98-93 victory over the host Toronto Raptors.
Wilson Chandler scored 22 points off the bench for the revamped Knicks, who had six scorers in double figures. Newcomer Raymond Felton had 15 points and six assists, and Chandler added eight rebounds.
Andrea Bargnani scored 22 points on 8-of-21 shooting for the Raptors, who began life without Chris Bosh. The All-Star power forward left in the offseason, joining LeBron James with the Miami Heat.
Jarrett Jack scored 16 points, Leandro Barbosa added 13 and Reggie Evans swept 16 boards for Toronto.
The Knicks led by as many as 16 points before the Raptors clawed within a point in the final minute of the first half. New York got a 3-pointer from rookie Landry Fields - who supplanted Chandler as starter - to take a 51-47 lead into the break.
Toronto took a 79-78 edge with 10 minutes left before Chandler's jumper gave New York the lead for good.
New York | Toronto | |
Wilson Chandler 22 | Scoring | Andrea Bargnani 22 |
Raymond Felton 6 | Assists | Jose Calderon 7 |
Amare Stoudemire 10 | Rebounds | Reggie Evans 16 |
Amare Stoudemire 5 | Free Throws Made | Andrea Bargnani 5 |
Ronny Turiaf 2 | Steals | Jarrett Jack 3 |
Ronny Turiaf 4 | Blocks | Andrea Bargnani 2 |