Mike Bohn

USA TODAY Sports

TORONTO — The Toronto Raptors beat a depleted New York Knicks squad on Thursday for their 10th consecutive victory and a new franchise record for longest winning streak.

Knicks starters Carmelo Anthony, Kristaps Porzingis and Jose Calderon did not play in the Raptors 103-93 win. The Raptors got 52 points and 14 assists from All-Star guards Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan.

Before the game the Raptors were one of five teams in NBA history to never earn 10 or more consecutive regular-season wins. The production from Lowry and DeRozan helped break the previous franchise record nine-game streak set in the 2001-02 season by a Vince Carter and Antonio Davis team.

"Those two are All-Stars. Both of them are All-Stars and they are playing like All-Stars," Raptors coach Dwayne Casey told USA TODAY Sports. "We made it hard on ourselves, but we can't dismiss the fact these young men have strung together 10 (for) the first time in 20 years. It's not the end-all, but it's an accomplishment."

Lowry will start for the Eastern Conference All-Star team, voted in by fans. DeRozan was named as a reserve just minutes before Thursday's game at the Air Canada Centre.

The recent success of the Raptors was likely part of the reason the backcourt duo landed in the All-Star Game, set to take place in Toronto on Feb. 14. The Raptors improved to 31-15 on the season with the victory and moved to within 1½ games of the Cleveland Cavaliers for first place in the Eastern Conference.

DeRozan scored 26 points in a game that cut the Knicks' all-time head-to-head advantage against the Raptors to 40-39. The next meeting between the teams takes place Feb. 22 at Madison Square Garden.

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Following the win, DeRozan relished in his All-Star selection. He said this year's Raptors team is the strongest group he's played with since he was drafted by the team in 2009.

"I had to work for every single thing that I've accomplished individually and team-wise," DeRozan said. "That's made me into the person and the player I am today. It's big. I've took pride in putting on this Toronto Raptors jersey since I've been here. Now to have the All-Star Game here, to have two guys representing it, it don't get no bigger than that."

Lowry, who was traded to Toronto in 2012 from the Houston Rockets, echoed DeRozan's sentiments.

"We're a good team. It's our team. It's 15-deep — it's not just me and DeMar," Lowry said. "We're a good team and we just really want to win games and be a successful group."

Although the Raptors broke down at points in the game by allowing the Knicks to cut a 14-point lead to one in the second half, the team managed to regroup and emerge on top for the historic win.

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No one in the Raptors locker room wants or expects momentum to slow any time soon, said Lowry. Because of that the team views itself as a serious threat to the Cavaliers as the regular season schedule reaches its latter half and the playoffs approach.

"It's really tough (to win 10 straight games), but the good teams do it," Lowry said. "They find ways to win games. I believe the way we are doing it is the way other teams probably do it by taking one game at a time and not focus on anything else but that."

The mid-season burst has elevated the Raptors' confidence to an elite level. Casey said the team has what it takes to steal the top spot from the Cavaliers.

"That's our goal is to try to catch them," Casey said. "We've got to continue to improve. I'm confident we're going to keep pushing to get better, to keep working to get there, get 100% healthy — which is probably impossible in this league — but that's our goal, is to be first in the conference. Can we get it done? We'll see. That's why it's a marathon. You can't win 10 in a row and get happy on the farm and relax."

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