The NBA Cup quarterfinals take center stage tonight, concluding with an Atlantic Division showdown as the New York Knicks visit Scotiabank Arena to face the Toronto Raptors. While the NBA world watches closely to see who punches a ticket to Las Vegas for the semifinals, injury news is dominating the headlines. New York enters the contest sweating the status of star center Karl-Anthony Towns (calf), while Toronto will be without leading scorer RJ Barrett for the remainder of the tournament.
This matchup pits conflicting styles against one another: the methodical pace of Jalen Brunson’s Knicks against the uptempo, transition-heavy offense led by Brandon Ingram and former Knick Immanuel Quickley. New York dominated the glass in their November meeting, but can they control the tempo again on the road? Here is a complete breakdown of the injury reports and a prediction for this high-stakes elimination game.
Knicks vs. Raptors Prediction
The quarterfinals of the NBA Cup are the attention of the sporting world tonight with a two-pack of games and the other 26 teams watching. Tomorrow night gives us the Western Conference, while we get the Heat/Magic and Knicks/Raptors on the East side of things tonight.
Karl-Anthony Towns is the injury to watch here and could swing things in a significant way, as it would limit the impact of a team strength (sixth in 3P%) that is at some risk as it is anyway (Toronto: third lowest opponent 3P%).
An X-Factor in this game could be Immanuel Quickley for the Raptors. Not only will he line up across from Jalen Bruson on occasion, but he’s the trigger man in an uptempo offense and has committed just two turnovers in his past two games (62 minutes).
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Speaking of tempo, the Knicks are 8-6 in their 14 fastest-paced games and 8-1 otherwise. If they can dictate tempo, they should be able to control this game, but if not, an upset is very much a possibility.
These two teams played in late November, and the Knicks used a huge first quarter to control the game. They were +21 on the glass, and that’s enough of a weakness for the Raptors that it’s hard to see it flipping for this game. I’ve got the Knicks advancing in a game where they hold the home team at an arms length for the final quarter: 117-107.
NBA Cup Schedule
East Quarterfinals – Tonight
West Quarterfinals – Wednesday
Both Semifinals – Saturday
Championship Game – December 16
Knicks vs. Raptors How to Watch
Date: Tuesday, Dec. 9
Time: 8:30 p.m. EST
Venue: Scotiabank Arena
How to Watch (TV): Prime Video
Knicks vs. Raptors Injury Reports
Knicks Injury Report
Pacome Dadiet – out
Miles McBride – out
Landry Shamet – out
Karl-Anthony Towns – questionable (game-time decision)
Raptors Injury Report
RJ Barrett – out (at least one week)
Jamison Battle – doubtful
Jamal Shead – questionable