THE Knicks earned a 123-114 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday night at the Moda Center.
Here are some points to remember…
– Josh Hart showed no signs of rust in his return after an eight-game absence due to an ankle injury. The forward made a three on the Knicks’ second possession of the game and stopped three of his first four shots for eight points early in the game. He played the first 4:08 seconds before being replaced for Miles McBride.
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– It wasn’t just Hart, though, as New York got off to a good start offensively as a team. They shot 54 percent from the field in the first, but struggled with Portland’s athleticism at the other end, and after leading by as many as seven points, things ended up at 34 apiece at the end of the quarter.
The Knicks were a bit sloppy, turning the ball over four times, leading to 12 fast break points from the Blazer.
– Hart added four more points in the second quarter, but it was Cities of Karl-Anthony who paved the way for the Knicks. The big man had a bit of an injury scare, but had a terrific first half, producing 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting while pulling down seven rebounds, dishing out three assists and blocking two shots.
– Jalen Brunson had 11 points of his own, OG Anunoby 10, and Mitchell Robinson made six shots, while McBride got off to an unusually slow start, missing his first six shots (five shots to threes). New York struggled to slow down Shaedon Sharpe (14), Deni Avdija (13), and Caleb Love (11) at the other end of the field, but still had a five-point lead at the break.
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– The Knicks came out of the locker room with energy, going on to a 7-2 score thanks to Towns and Brunson. The big man hit his second three of the night and Brunson hit two lay-ins to help push the lead to double digits for the first time in the game in the opening minutes of the second half.
Hart made his presence felt again, diving to the floor for one of his signature hustle plays to trigger a fast break from Brunson.
– Poor offense and defense, however, allowed Portland to come back in this one. The lead was cut to five before the fourth quarter, and just a few minutes into the game, the Blazers managed to tie things up on a Robert Williams III a slam, then Avdija’s throw-in and foul gave them the lead.
– Brunson was forced off the bench earlier than usual and quickly helped regain the lead. The teams traded buckets before the Knicks knocked down four straight clutch buckets to bring the lead back to double digits. Anunoby nailed a pair of threes, McBride knocked down her first of the night and Hart made a fast break.
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Portland cut the deficit to five, but New York managed to hold on for the much-deserved victory.
– Hart played 31 minutes after returning from injury. He had 18 points on 7-of-15 shooting from the field, dished out six assists, pulled down three rebounds, had two steals and a block. New York now boasts an impressive 20-9 record when the 30-year-old forward is in the lineup this season.
Brunson led all scorers with 26 points, six rebounds and eight assists, Anunoby had 24 points, including two of the biggest threes of the game and seven rebounds, Towns scored 20 points and 11 rebounds. Robinson made his presence felt off the bench with 11 rebounds.
New York only attempted eight free throws on the night, compared to 25 for Portland.
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Game MVP: OG Anunoby
Anunoby’s clutch three-pointer helped put this one away at the end of a back-and-forth fourth quarter.
Highlights
What’s next
The Knicks continue their road trip with a Wednesday night meeting with the Kings.
Tip-off is scheduled for 10:00 p.m. at Golden 1 Center.
