Carmelo Anthony scores 30 to help Knicks to much-needed win over Raptors

The New York Knicks went into the Air Canada Centre and came away with a win over the Toronto Raptors on Friday night, claiming a 108-100 decision. 

The win was sorely needed by a Knicks team looking to catch the Hawks for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

As for the Raptors, they had a chance to clinch the Atlantic Division title in front of their home crowd for just the second time in franchise history.

Carmelo Anthony, sore shoulder and all, led all players in scoring with 30 points on 8-of-17 shooting. Amar'e Stoudemire added 24 points and 11 rebounds.

DeMar DeRozan paced the Raptors with 26 points. Kyle Lowry added 25, and made four three-pointers to earn the single-season franchise record with 180 three-pointers.

Jonas Valanciunas became the ninth Raptor in franchise history to record 20 or more rebounds in a game, pulling down a career-high 21 boards on Friday.

Both teams will be off until Sunday, when the Knicks return home to take on the Bulls, while the Raptors will head out to Detroit for a date with the Pistons.