Blazers Reflect on Loss to Knicks: ‘We Just Got Outplayed’

The Portland Trail Blazers started the New Year with what seemed to be a winnable game against the lowly Knicks, but it was the Blazers that looked lowly by the end of the night. As Jamie Hudson of NBC Sports Northwest relays, disappointment rung throughout the locker room.

Carmelo Anthony tipped his cap to the Knicks’ all-around performance, which outshined his return to New York:

“Losses are something that we’ll get to the bottom of and figure out. You got to tip your hat off to those guys tonight. They played extremely well. The way they shot the ball, the way they were locked in, they deserved to win tonight.”

Damian Lillard dealt with a poor shooting night, so he explained how he adjusted to still have an impact on the game:

“I played how I always play. You play a lot of games and sometimes the ball doesn’t go in and tonight was one of those nights for me shooting the ball, but I tried to still play a complete game. I thought I made plays the way I always do. We were having issues keeping them off of the glass so I tried to come back and rebound and communicate through their plays, try to pick up our urgency and tighten up defensively.”

Still, the Blazers fell short despite Lillard’s contributions. He didn’t mince words about how easy the game came to the Knicks:

“We just got outplayed, everything they wanted to do, they did it. They made shots, they got fouls calls. Whatever they wanted to do, they did it.”

Portland will look to bounce back against the 10-23 Wizards on Friday.