New York Knicks at Toronto Raptors: How, Who to Watch in Different Kind of Court Battle

Amidst an ongoing legal battle, the New York Knicks and Toronto Raptors will play on a more familiar brand of court on Friday night.

Better call .... ball?

Engaged in an eccentric legal battle, "New York Knicks vs. Toronto Raptors" takes on a more traditional meeting on Friday night, as they'll play the first of two December meetings in Ontario. New York has filed a lawsuit against the Raptors for the alleged theft of proprietary information by a former team employee but a quicker resolution awaits on Friday.

The Knicks will engage in what's already their fifth back-to-back set of the season, facing the Raptors less than 24 hours after they survived a daunting challenge from the reeling Detroit Pistons. New York earned their first win in the latter half of back-to-back the last time around, taking down Washington and Charlotte in a weekend pair on Nov. 17-18. 

Toronto recently came off a back-to-back of its own, earning an upset win over the Phoenix Suns in the latter half on Wednesday. Scottie Barnes led the way with 23 points while Precious Achiuwa had a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double off the bench.

This will be the first of four meetings between the Knicks and Raptors this season with a rematch scheduled for Dec. 11 in Manhattan. Toronto has won three of four in each of the last two seasons, including both meetings at Madison Square Garden.

What: New York Knicks (11-7) @ Toronto Raptors (9-10)

Where: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, ON 

When/Watch: Friday, 7:30 p.m. ET, MSG

Who's Favored: TOR -2

Keep An Eye On: Quentin Grimes

Grimes struggles continued on Thursday night, as he was held scoreless in five attempts over 16 minutes against the Pistons. Only adding to his sense of relative desperation and perhaps loosening his grip on the starting five spot he earned last season was Donte DiVincenzo's late heroics, as a pair of consecutive triples permanently shifted momentum on Thursday night. A strong performance against a divisional foe would be a great way to get momentum back in his corner. 

Anunoby guarded by Mitchell Robinson during a matchup last season / USA TODAY SPORTS

Raptor to Watch: O.G. Anunoby

The Knicks and Raptors doing friendly business any time soon doesn't seem likely considering the lawyers involved but New York has frequently been linked to the two-sided efforts of Anunoby, the Association's leader in steals from last season. Either way, Anunoby figures to play a large role in the Raptors' future: will he help them leap into the more traditional Eastern Conference playoff picture or will he instead have them prepare for the future with first-round picks obtained in a trade?

They Said It

“There’s a team that can come in and beat you any given night. So, we weren’t focusing on what their record was or (what) their losing streak was coming in. We were focused on what they’re good at, how they can beat you, and the things they excel at.”-Jalen Brunson on playing a close game against the 2-17 Pistons (h/t Associated Press)

Raptors Respond to Knicks' Lawsuit

Prediction

The Knicks perhaps got lucky on Thursday ... but efforts like those aren't much help beyond a matchup against the lowly Pistons. Asking them to come off survival mode, make a trip, and face a Raptors team eager to make a point feels like a recipe for disaster. Expect the Knicks to keep things close (they certainly have the talent to do so in a back-to-back) but it feels like just a little too much to handle for the time being.

Raptors 114, Knicks 113