TORONTO — As the Knicks’ long wait for Mitchell Robinson ended, their annihilation of undermanned lottery-bound teams in the past week continued.
Robinson appeared in his first game in more than three months, and the Knicks posted their highest-scoring game of the season in a 145-101 rout of the reeling Raptors at Scotiabank Arena.
Miles McBride scored 18 of his 29 points on six 3-pointers — of his nine overall — in a season-high 45-point opening quarter as the Knicks (44-28) leapfrogged the Cavaliers in the standings into the coveted No. 3 playoff position in the Eastern Conference.
Jalen Brunson contributed 26 points and seven assists, and former Raptors forward Precious Achiuwa had 19 points and 13 rebounds for the Knicks, whose 80 points in the first half also represented their most this season.
Robinson, the team’s starting center and defensive linchpin, also was back in uniform for the first time since Dec. 8.
He finished with eight points and two rebounds in 12 minutes off the bench with Isaiah Hartenstein (15 points) remaining for now in the starting five.
The 25-year-old Robinson had missed 50 consecutive games after suffering a left-ankle injury that required surgery.
“It’s a long layoff, so just get started with the next process and the next step for him,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said before the game. “I think every player is different, brings different strengths to the team.
“With Mitch, we know [it’s] the shot-blocking, the rim protection, pick-and-roll defense, the pressure on the rim. And the offensive rebounding is obviously we think the best in the league. So all those things, they’re selfless things that help make the team a lot better. So we’re glad to have him back.”
Robinson, who has been practicing with the Knicks for the past week, was leading the NBA at the time of his injury with 5.3 offensive rebounds per game.
And his 10.3 overall average on the boards represented a career high.
Still, Hartenstein has played well in Robinson’s absence, posting 8.1 points and 9.9 rebounds per game over his previous 39 starts.
But Hartenstein, who scored 15 points, also has been on a minutes restriction since the All-Star break to manage a nagging Achilles injury, averaging 22.6 minutes per game over his past 16 appearances.
Thibodeau hasn’t fully committed to a center rotation with Robinson returning, but he indicated last week that he could keep Hartenstein as the starter and stagger the minutes so the rest of the regular starting unit also gets time on the court with Robinson.
With Achiuwa, Josh Hart and Jericho Sims playing expanded roles amid the team’s rash of injuries, the Knicks still began play Wednesday tied with the Hawks in offensive rebounding for the season with 12.8 per game.
Two-time All-Star Julius Randle (shoulder) and former Raptors forward OG Anunoby (elbow) remained out for the Knicks, who have 10 games remaining in the regular season beginning Friday night in San Antonio.
The Raptors, losers of 12 straight games, were without former Knicks RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley (personal reasons), as well as All-Star wing Scottie Barnes, Jacob Poeltl and others.
There was another scary injury moment for Toronto when wing Ochai Agbaji suffered a hip contusion when he crashed hard to the floor on a foul by McBride midway through the first quarter and had to be helped to the locker room.
One game after DiVincenzo set a franchise record with 11 made 3-pointers against the Pistons, McBride knocked down six on eight long-range attempts from beyond the arc in the first 12 minutes.
That matched the franchise mark for one quarter, tying John Starks and Quentin Richardson.
Robinson entered the game with 5:08 remaining and he scored four points in six first-half minutes.
The Knicks led 45-33 through one and they extended their lead to as many as 21 in the second before carrying a 80-59 advantage into intermission.
It marked their second-highest-scoring first half in franchise history, one point off the record set in March of last season against the Nets.
For reference, the Knicks had been held to 73 points in a loss to the 76ers barely two weeks ago.
