Blazers Survive Sharpshooting Knicks

The Portland Trail Blazers battled a pesky New York Knicks team all night before finally prevailing with a 118-114 victory, capped by a huge tip-in from Evan Turner in the final seconds. CJ McCollum and Damian Lillard combined for 60 points on the game, and the Knicks were led by Tim Hardaway Jr.’s 32 point effort.

Here are a few takeaway’s from tonight’s game:

• Dialing from distance. Both teams were able to thrive from three-point land. The Knicks started the game red-hot, going 6-9 from deep in the first quarter and shooting 50% in the first half. The Blazers caught fire in the second half, going 9-17 and ended up shooting 46% from three for the game. The Knicks finished at 45%.
• Meyers steps up. The Blazers got huge minutes from Meyers Leonard, who had 15 points in 17 minutes, earning extra run with Zach Collins in foul trouble for much of the night.
• Familiar face shining. Former Blazer Noah Vonleh is thriving with the Knicks. Tonight was no exception, as the big man had 14 points, 14 rebounds and three steals against his former teammates in a team-high 37 minutes.

Box Score

Next Up

The Blazers head to Milwaukee for tomorrow night’s match-up against the Bucks. Stay tuned for extended analysis on tonight’s game from Brian Freeman.