The Portland Trail Blazers and New York Knicks battled to a standstill for the majority of Tuesday night’s contest, until a late New York run gave them the 107-103 victory. Derrick Rose hit a jumper with less than seven seconds left to win the defensively-challenged performance.
The Blazers were led by Damian Lillard (22 points, 6 assists), CJ McCollum (16 points, 5 assists), Moe Harkless (15 points, 8 rebounds) and Ed Davis (14 points, 10 rebounds), who started again in place of the injured Al-Farouq Aminu. Evan Turner contributed 11 points and 2 assists in a game where every Blazer scored.
Recap
The Blazers started off strong, with Harkless, Lillard and McCollum combining for 15 points in the first quarter. Davis continued his strong play in his starting role. However, Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis came to play, preventing every Blazers run, and making sure the score stayed close.
Portland Trail Blazers 33, New York Knicks 28
In the second quarter, more Porzingis, and more Knicks defense. New York focused on shutting down Lillard, and his teammates couldn’t hit any shots to compensate. Soon, the Knicks went on a run, fueled by fast breaks off turnovers. They took a 7 point lead, but Davis’ 14 first-half points helped the Blazers keep it tight.
New York Knicks 60, Portland Trail Blazers 58
HIGHLIGHT: CJ with the alley, Lillard with the oop. #RipCity #BoomShakalaka https://t.co/XhZudRLOkX
— CSN Northwest (@CSNNW) November 23, 2016
HIGHLIGHT:Ed Davis redirects ball for the nifty layup. #RipCity https://t.co/kJktaa6IHY
— CSN Northwest (@CSNNW) November 23, 2016
HIGHLIGHTS: Harkless with the steal and the easy breakaway jam. #RipCity https://t.co/spRXnntnaP
— CSN Northwest (@CSNNW) November 23, 2016
HIGHLIGHT: Vonleh with the block! #RipCity https://t.co/ZsidjG457e
— CSN Northwest (@CSNNW) November 23, 2016
HIGHLIGHT: Plumlee's crisp pass finds Lillard for the layup. #RipCity https://t.co/qyaOKNLGjP
— CSN Northwest (@CSNNW) November 23, 2016
HIGHLIGHT: Ed Davis goes up for the jam, gets blocked, and still gets the bucket. #RipCity https://t.co/sffs79scX8
— CSN Northwest (@CSNNW) November 23, 2016
More of the high-scoring, defense-challenged performance from both teams in the third, but neither team could gain a lead higher than three. The score stayed close, but the offense suddenly dried up. neither team could get the ball in the hoop, as Portland out-scored New York, 23-21. Nothing was settled as we headed into the fourth quarter.
Portland Trail Blazers 81, New York Knicks 81
HIGHLIGHT: Plumlee nets the tough bucket on the give and go. #RipCity https://t.co/SzdZ7SJEuD
— CSN Northwest (@CSNNW) November 23, 2016
HIGHLIGHT: Plumlee with the and one bucket on the break. #RipCity https://t.co/GfpJtAMopi
— CSN Northwest (@CSNNW) November 23, 2016
HIGHLIGHT: Lillard goes right at the D, hits the tough layup. #RipCity https://t.co/e661tFn0O2
— CSN Northwest (@CSNNW) November 23, 2016
The Knicks took an early fourth quarter lead, but the Blazers fought back, as Evan Turner came alive. Portland pushed their lead up to 4 at the halfway point, but a Knicks three-pointer promptly followed. Some poor Blazer rebounding helped the Knicks take the lead, but a nice Lillard drive restored control, followed by a Moe Harkless jumper. The Blazers took a 3-point lead with 3:45 left, but the Knicks didn’t quit. They scored seven straight points, including a lucky three-pointer on a broken play (see video below), to take a 4 point lead with 2 minutes left. Turner helped the Blazers keep the deficit to 2, but Derrick Rose hit a tough jumper with 7 seconds left to give the Knicks the four-point lead, and seal a victory.
HIGHLIGHT: Turner with the and one layup. #RipCity https://t.co/MxYHF6pjn9
— CSN Northwest (@CSNNW) November 23, 2016
Derrick Rose puts the Knicks up 4 with 6.8 left in the game pic.twitter.com/pNHsBk0IbT
— Steve Noah (@Steve_OS) November 23, 2016
What’s Next
One more game for the Blazers on this long road trip, in Cleveland tomorrow night. But stay tuned tonight for more analysis from Blazer’s Edge.