TORONTO _ With the Knicks about 90 minutes away from beginning a tough stretch of four games in five days, coach Jeff Hornacek volunteered a positive thought that would apply if his team happened to get blown out by the Raptors on Sunday.
"If things aren't looking good and we can find time to rest guys, then we'll do that," Hornacek said, "knowing that we have the four games in five nights."
Silver linings, people.
To be fair, Hornacek also later mentioned "there's no reason you can't think you can win all four of them."
He'll have to change that to "the next three" after the Knicks were blown out by the Raptors, 116-101, at Air Canada Centre.
The Knicks, who allowed a season-high 69 points in the first half and trailed by 15 at halftime, fell totally apart during a third quarter in which they were outscored 27-8. Hornacek emptied his bench with four minutes left in the third and Toronto winning by 34 points. Toronto led by as many as 38 points before the Knicks' reserves made the score look a little more respectable.
So Carmelo Anthony, Derrick Rose and the rest of the starters were able to get a breather before Monday's Martin Luther King Day matinee against Atlanta at the Garden.
The Knicks, who reached the halfway point of the season at 18-23, were without Kristaps Porzingis, who missed his second straight game with a sore left Achilles. The also lost his replacement, Lance Thomas, less than two minutes into the game. Thomas was elbowed in the head by Toronto's Jonas Valanciunas and did not return. The nature and extent of Thomas' injury was not revealed during the game.
DeMar DeRozan led the Atlantic Division-leading Raptors with 23 points, DeMarre Carroll had 20 points and Valanciunas had 12 points and 16 rebounds.
Anthony scored 18 points for the Knicks. Justin Holiday had 17 off the bench.
The Knicks outscored the Raptors 39-20 in the fourth quarter to make the final score closer than the reality.
