Toronto Raptors vs New York Knicks Mar.29/08

Chris Bosh is rounding back into form and T.J. Ford's confidence is on the rise, and that's good news for Toronto with 10 games to go in the regular season. Bosh had 29 points and 10 rebounds, and Ford added 10 points and nine assists in one of his best games in months, to lead the Raptors to a 103-95 win over the hapless New York Knicks on Friday. The win wasn't a particularly inspired one for the Raptors, but it was their second in a row after an ugly stretch of poor performances, and it was good enough to propel the Raptors to sixth in the Eastern Conference. ``It's really important, we definitely want to go into the playoffs on a roll,'' Bosh said. ``It's all about momentum and if we can start some momentum up right, I think that will look really good for us and be a big confidence booster.'' [ ] Rasho Nesterovic added 18 points and eight boards in another strong game for the Raptors (37-35). ``I thought Rasho, for the last month and a half (played well),'' said Raptors coach Sam Mitchell. ``We just have to keep him going the way he's been going. He's played great.'' Anthony Parker added 15 points and Andrea Bargnani chipped in with 12 points. Jamal Crawford led the struggling Knicks (20-52) with 26 points, while Jared Jeffries added 21. The Raptors led from the opening whistle, and looked headed for a relatively easy night, taking a 17-point lead in the second quarter. But instead of putting the Knicks away for good, they squandered their lead in a matter of four minutes as the Knicks cut the lead to three points. ``For whatever reason, we just could not put this game away,'' Mitchell said. ``We would make a little spurt but they would come down and get a three-point play or hit a shot or we would come down and turn the ball over, but we just could not put them away.'' Toronto took a 76-68 lead into the fourth quarter in front of a capacity crowd of 19,800 at the Air Canada Centre, and stretched it to 11 points early in the frame. New York fought to within eight points several times in the final few minutes, but could get no closer. With 2:31 left in the game, Ford brought the crowd to its feet when he faked out Jeffries, leaving the Knicks forward sprawling to the court, and the Raptors went on to secure an important win. Ford played well in only his second start since injuring his neck Dec. 11, shooting 5-for-7 from the field. ``I'm just trying to play, trying to get wins, trying to get a better seeding, understanding that we had a tough couple of weeks and we're trying to get things turned around,'' Ford said. ``The only way you can do that is continue to play the right way and play team basketball.'' Bosh, who shot 10-for-17 on the night, played 47 minutes and looked like he's finally over the knee injury that sidelined him for 10 games _ an ugly stretch for the Raptors who went 2-8 without him. ``Just (need to work on) conditioning, today I was pretty tired,'' Bosh said. ``Best way to get in shape is playing games. ``I feel good, it's basketball at the end of the day to me, so it's just going to take a couple of days, couple of games just to get back. I've been working pretty hard in practice to get my legs back and working hard in game situations. I feel that I can really help this team out and I'll be 100 per cent when it counts.'' The Raptors shot 51 per cent on the night, and held the Knicks to 39 per cent. Toronto also outrebounded their visitors 45-38. Since the game went down to the final few minutes, Raptors newcomer Linton Johnson didn't get in the game. The Raptors signed the forward to a 10-day contract on Thursday, waiving veteran guard Darrick Martin. ``I'm just fortunate to be in the position to do something I love doing,'' Johnson said at the morning shootaround. ``I've been playing basketball all my life and I just appreciate the opportunity this organization's given me.'' Mitchell said the move wasn't made to send a particular message to his players, although he added that the team could play better. ``It's on everybody, pick it up, play better,'' Mitchell said. ``It's a message that we're trying to improve. ``(Johnson) is a really good young man, hard worker, and we just want to take a look at him. It's not a message purposely being sent but if someone in that locker-room perceives it as a message, then maybe they should wake up.'' The Raptors took a nine-point lead midway through the first quarter on a driving hook shot by Nesterovic. Toronto took a 32-23 advantage into the second. The Raptors stretched their lead to 17 points in the third quarter on a three-pointer by Carlos Delfino. But a 14-0 Knicks run cut the Raptors' lead down to just three points with 50 seconds left in the half. Toronto led 49-44 at the break. A three by Bosh capped a mini Raptors run in the third to put the home team up by 12 points, and Toronto headed into the fourth quarter ahead 76-68.

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