TORONTO -- The New York Knicks won their second close encounter in a row Tuesday, holding on in the fourth quarter for a 111-109 victory over the Toronto Raptors.

Knicks coach Derek Fisher said prevailing in such games is part of the learning process for his players.

"I think surviving against the Los Angeles Lakers (99-95) a couple of days ago probably gave them some confidence and trust in themselves in close games." Fisher said. "We weren't great tonight. We had a couple of guys out. We're nowhere near as good as we can be."

Raptors coach Dwane Casey said, "You've got to make your breaks in this game, and we didn't. We didn't make our breaks, especially down the stretch."

Forward Carmelo Anthony led the Knicks (4-4) with 25 points.

Guard DeMar DeRozan scored 29 points to lead the Raptors (5-3), who lost their third game in a row.

Forward Lance Thomas scored 17 points off the bench for the Knicks, and reserve guard Langston Galloway added 15.

The Knicks used 13 players in the game, and Casey praised their bench.

"Lance Thomas, I don't know he many threes he's made this year, he made his threes (3-for-3)" Casey said. "The young kid comes in right before the fourth quarter and knocks down a three again."

Knicks center Robin Lopez added 12 points and eight rebounds before fouling out.

Guard Kyle Lowry scored 23 points and added nine assists for Toronto. Center Jonas Valanciunas had 16 points and nine rebounds, while guard Cory Joseph added 12 points and eight assists, and forward Luis Scola had 11 points and seven boards.

The Raptors felt victimized by a call with 22.8 seconds left in the fourth quarter on a trap play when Anthony apparently stepped out of bounds.

"I thought he was out of bounds," Casey said. "I wouldn't say anything if it wasn't in front of me. ... Video showed he stepped out of bounds."

Lead official Ed Malloy said, "When we came in we reviewed the play (after the game). We did see Anthony step out of bounds and should have awarded the ball to Toronto."

The Knicks led by one point when Lowry was called for a foul with 17.2 seconds to play. Thomas made both free throws for a three-point New York lead.

Lopez fouled out with 11.1 seconds to play, and DeRozan made one of two free throws to cut New York's lead to two points.

The Raptors picked up the rebound on DeRozan's miss on the second foul shot. After a timeout, Valanciunas missed a layup attempt and Thomas made two free throws for New York with 3.7 seconds on the clock.

Joseph hit a 3-pointer, trimming the lead to one point, and Galloway made one of two free throws with 1.5 seconds left. Toronto could not connect on a desperation shot at the buzzer.

"There were a lot of things we were definitely frustrated about," DeRozan said. "We still had a chance to pull it out. I missed a free throw, and even though we missed, we got the ball back and missed a layup."

The Knicks led 24-17 after the first quarter and had a 60-52 lead at the half.

DeRozan made one of two free throws with 4:42 to play the third to give Toronto a 72-71 lead. Knicks forward Cleanthony Early made a 3-pointer with the final shot of the third quarter to tie the game at 85.

The Knicks led 98-93 on a running layup by Early off a fast break with 8:08 to play in the fourth quarter.

DeRozan's layup cut New York's lead to 102-99 with 2:55 left. When DeRozan made two free throws with 2:22 to play, the lead was down to one before Lopez answered with a put-back layup and Thomas followed with a layup. The Knicks led 106-101 with 1:31 to play.

The Raptors trimmed the lead to three points with 51.4 seconds to play on a tip shot by Valanciunas.

Anthony had a huddle with his teammates late in the third quarter.

"I thought that kind of reset everybody's mindset a bit and allowed us to have a pretty solid fourth quarter," he said. "It was just a matter of everybody picking up the intensity. Picking up the level of focus, the energy and going out there and playing basketball at that point."

NOTES: G Arron Afflalo (hamstring) did not play Tuesday, but he could make his Knicks debut Wednesday in Charlotte. He missed nearly a month with the injury, and when he does return, coach Derek Fisher said he would keep the 30-year-old from playing both games of back-to-back sets. ... Toronto F DeMarre Carroll (sore right heel) did not play. His starting spot and matchup with Knicks F Carmelo Anthony went to F James Johnson, who scored seven points. Carroll also did not play Sunday in the loss to the Heat at Miami. ... Toronto F/G Terrence Ross missed the game after sustaining a left thumb ligament injury Monday in practice. There is no timetable for his return. ... The Raptors do not play two games in a row at home this season until Dec. 3-5, the longest stretch of any team to start this season. ... The Raptors will play the 76ers on Wednesday in Philadelphia. ... The Knicks will play the Hornets in Charlotte on Wednesday.