Karl-Anthony Towns made crucial baskets and a key defensive stop to help the New York Knicks to a 113-108 win over the Toronto Raptors. KAT scored an undergoal stab off a Jalen Brunson pass to break a 108 tie with 36.0 seconds remaining. The former Minnesota Timberwolves star switched on RJ Barrett in the next possession to prevent him from scoring a layup.Towns capped off his heroics with a 29-footer to settle the score. Raptors guard Ja'Kobe Walter stepped out of bounds after the triple to seal Toronto's fate. Monday's win made it five straight wins by the Knicks against their opponents.The Raptors nearly pulled off the upset without Immanuel Quickley. Scottie Barnes also suffered an ankle injury midway through the third quarter. RJ Barrett, who had 30 points, eight rebounds and four assists, led the hosts but couldn't push his team to the top.New York Knicks vs Toronto Raptors player stats and box scoreNew York Knicks player stats and box scorePlayerPTSREBASTSTLBLKTOFG3-PT FGFT+/-Mikal Bridges23331019-145-80-0+9OG Anunoby14432326-142-90-1-7Karl-Anthony Towns241562237-132-58-10+10Jalen Brunson204110037-134-82-5-2Josh Hart10431004-91-21-2-2Precious Achiuwa7600203-70-01-1+5Cameron Payne7110003-61-40-0+4Miles McBride8351013-62-40-0+8Matt RyanDNP---------Jacob ToppinDNP---------Jericho SimsDNP---------Ariel HukportiDNP- --------Tyler KolekDNP- --------Pacome DadietDNP- --------Toronto Raptors player stats and box scorePlayerPTSREBASTSTLBLKTOFG3-PT FGFT+/-Scottie Barnes15530025-113-82-2+5Jakob Poeltl101241214-80-02-2+10RJ Barrett308410313-243-71-2+4Ochai Agbaji7541013-91-40-0+7Gradey Dick7600003-111-50-0+6Kelly Olynyk6411123-80-10-0-15Jonathan Mogbo6720003-90-10-0-17Davion Mitchell8330113-42-20-0-15Ja'Kobe Walter19120026-123-74-5-10Chris BoucherDNP---------Bruno FernandoDNP- --------Garrett TempleDNP- --------Jamal SheadDNP- --------New York Knicks vs Toronto Raptors Game SummaryThe New York Knicks faced the Toronto Raptors for the first time this season on Monday. New York, which won 4-0 in the head-to-head games last season, hoped to keep its dominance over Toronto. The return of Karl-Anthony Towns from injury should give the visitors a boost.Jalen Brunson led the Knicks' balanced attack in the first quarter with nine points. Former Raptors OG Anunoby and Precious Achiuwa combined for 10 points to help the Knicks to a 34-27 lead.Former Knicks star RJ Barrett scattered eight points in 10 minutes. Every Raptor scored in the first quarter except Jonathan Mogbo, who went 0-for-3.Toronto's 13-0 run starting the five-minute mark in the second quarter gave momentum to the hosts. They took a 55-53 lead with 2:28 remaining in the period. Jalen Brunson missed two free throws late to allow the Raptors to take a 61-60 advantage.The back-and-forth between the New York Knicks and Toronto Raptors, which started late in the second quarter, continued throughout the third period. Toronto won the 12-minute slugfest 25-23 to lead 86-83 heading into the fourth quarter. Scottie Barnes injured his ankle at 6:47 in the third quarter after stepping on Karl-Anthony Towns’ foot. He had to be helped to the locker room by the team’s training staff. Barnes did not return to finish the game.Karl-Anthony Towns' string of crucial plays late in the game allowed the Knicks to walk away with a 113-108 win.