Chris Bosh was too quick for the Knicks' frontcourt. So Zach Randolph and Eddy Curry ended up on the bench, where it didn't matter how slowly they move.
Bosh had 40 points and 11 rebounds, and the Raptors rolled to a 99-90 victory over New York last night at Madison Square Garden in the latest ugly night for the Knicks.
Taking the ball to the basket from the start and finishing 2 points shy of his career high, set earlier this season against Phoenix, Bosh quickly landed the disappointing Randolph-Curry tandem on the bench - and Randolph wasn't happy about it.
"We knew we had an advantage over them with our quickness moving laterally and up and down the court," Bosh said. "So I just wanted to kind of exploit that and get going a little early."
Randolph was benched the final 31-plus minutes and appeared frustrated with Knicks coach Isiah Thomas when he was removed for good. Randolph was yanked 20 seconds after committing an offensive foul with 7:35 remaining in the first half.
"Any player would get upset because they want to play," Randolph said. "I want to play. I want to be out there."
Not that the Knicks were doing much with Randolph in there, anyway. They trailed the final 45 1/2 minutes and lost for the ninth time in 10 games, falling to 0-2 on a four-game homestand that Thomas said before the game was important for his last-place team.
"I thought he and Eddy both were just having problems with the foot speed of Toronto tonight and it was just a tough game to match up," Thomas said. "I just tried to go with quicker people and try to get us back in the game."
New York has dropped five straight at home. The Knicks were booed frequently in the second half, with the "Fire Isiah!" chants heating up late in the third quarter.
Rockets 113, Timberwolves 82 - Luis Scola had 22 points and nine rebounds and rookie Carl Landry had 15 points and 11 rebounds, both career highs, as host Houston improved to 7-2 without injured star Tracy McGrady.
Lakers 110, Bucks 105 - Kobe Bryant scored 16 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter despite a viral upper respiratory infection, Andrew Bynum had 25 points and a career-high 17 rebounds, and host Los Angeles captured its season-high fifth straight victory.
Mavericks 90, Sonics 70 - Dirk Nowitzki scored 20 points in just three quarters, Josh Howard added 18, and visiting Dallas handed hapless Seattle its sixth straight loss.
Warriors 116, Grizzlies 104 - Monta Ellis made his first 11 shots and scored 27 points as host Golden State beat Memphis for the fifth straight time. Pau Gasol scored a season-high 43 points, one shy of his career best, and had 11 rebounds for the Grizzlies.
Cavaliers 113, Bobcats 106 - LeBron James scored 8 of his 31 points in the second overtime and pulled down a career-high 19 rebounds to lead host Cleveland.
Hornets 114, Heat 88 - Bobby Jackson made a career-high seven 3-pointers and finished with 25 points, helping host New Orleans hand Miami its 10th straight loss.
Bulls 100, 76ers 97 - Andres Nocioni scored 27 points, Joe Smith added 19, and visiting Chicago rallied to hand Philadelphia its season-high sixth straight loss.
Nuggets 113, Magic 103 - Carmelo Anthony scored 32 points and Anthony Carter had 14 of his career-high-tying 21 in the fourth quarter, lifting host Denver.
Wizards 102, Hawks 98 - Antawn Jamison scored 22 points and Caron Butler added 21 to lead visiting Washington. Josh Smith scored 35 points for the Hawks, but it wasn't enough to overcome the team's 12-of-22 showing at the foul line.
