NEW YORK — The last time the New York Knicks had a winning streak this long was also their last playoff appearance.
They might be surging toward another one.
Julius Randle had 31 points and 10 rebounds, R.J. Barrett added 25 points and 12 boards, and the Knicks beat the Toronto Raptors 120-103 on Saturday for their ninth straight victory.
Derrick Rose scored 19 points for the Knicks, who are on their longest winning streak since a 13-game run late in the 2012-13 season, when they won the Atlantic Division title.
“We’re peaking, but we can still get a lot better,” Randle said. “Obviously offensively we’re playing well, but defensively for a full 48 minutes, I feel like we can be a lot better.”
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The Knicks have moved into fourth place in the Eastern Conference with 11 games remaining and improved to 21-10 at home, where an announced crowd of 1,981 fans sounded louder at a time of year when basketball season is usually over at Madison Square Garden.
“Since the fans have been back it’s been amazing winning here,” Barrett said. “They give us such a boost and we’re really playing hard together because we want to make them proud.”
Randle, coming off a 40-point performance Wednesday against Atlanta, had 20 more by halftime Saturday. The Knicks then broke open a close game while he was on the bench to start the fourth quarter, and Barrett made the big shots down the stretch to turn away his hometown team.
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