No opponent wants to see the Portland Trail Blazers right now, and the New York Knicks were no exception. The Blazers played hard and refused to go away, even as the Knicks’ lead approached 20. But it wasn’t enough, as New York kept the Blazers at bay for a 105-93 victory.
The Blazers were without starting guard Anfernee Simons, who was held out of the game due to knee soreness on the second night of a back to back. He is expected to return for Portland’s short road trip.
What Happened?
The Blazers caught the Knicks off guard in the first, including a stretch of 11 quick points to grab the lead, but New York pulled ahead by 1 by the end of the quarter. The Knicks went into gear, outscoring the Blazers by 13 in the second quarter to lead by 14 at halftime, and that’s when the phrase “arm’s length” starts to appear. The Knicks held Portland off all night, as the Blazers kept attempting to close the gap, but couldn’t reach single digits. New York finally tightened up late in the fourth and shook off the Blazers like water on a wet dog.
Tonight’s Takeaways
Deandre is having some fun out there. Ayton looked unstoppable yet again. His height caused problems for another team, as the Knicks couldn’t prevent him from receiving the ball, nor from shooting, or rebounding, nor tipping in misses. He scored 31 points on 21 shots, to go with 14 rebounds, 6 of which were offensive. It was his seventh consecutive double-double. Has Deandre shown strong stretches of play in the past? Absolutely. But it’s still good to see it happen in Portland.
“Why are they trying so hard?” That’s probably a phrase quietly uttered among playoff-bound Blazers opponents over the last few weeks. Likely seen as a cupcake opponent at the end of a long season, Portland’s players have clearly been challenged to bring 100% energy every night, sometimes catching the opponent off guard. The Knicks were no exception; even with the game seemingly over in the fourth, Henderson led the starters to pull back to within 10, causing the Knicks to bear down and stop any further Blazer momentum.
This was a good night for Scoot. Seriously. Even if he wasn’t great, these nights are important for Henderson’s growth as a player. Tonight was the rare event where, with Simons and Brogdon sidelined, Scoot was given slightly more freedom to make mistakes, and even get into foul trouble, and work it out on his own. Even so, he played under 30 minutes. He didn’t shoot well, he made multiple unforced errors, but he also showed glimpses of a player that might become a great point guard someday. Or perhaps not. Henderson scored 12 points on 4-13 shooting, with 6 assists and 7 rebounds.
Giving up 40 again. For the second time in two days, the Blazers’ defense gave up a 40 point night. Last night, Dejounte Murray. Tonight, Jalen Brunson. He scored 45 points on 30 shots, and couldn’t easily be stopped by double-teams.
The kids grow up so fast. Kris Murray tossed out another solid effort, showing the potential to be a future member of the rotation. Toumari Camara offered the usual pesky defense and a couple nice shots, mixed with a few ugly ones. A few youngsters had less memorable nights. Duop Reath struggled to score for the second straight game, and played fewer minutes. Dalano Banton scored 16 on 20 shots. He also had 4 steals, but 5 turnovers. It was the night you’d expect from a player still trying to find a role in the league.
It’s nice to see old friends. Usually. Former Blazer Josh Hart didn’t need to score a lot of points tonight, because he was busy in the role of the Knicks “glue guy” all around the court. His 7 points was irrelevant next to the 15 rebounds, 3 steals, and random key plays to brush away the Blazers.
Video Highlights
What’s Next
A two-game road trip starts Saturday evening in New Orleans, a 4:00 PDT tip-off against CJ McCollum and the Pelicans.
The Link LonkMarch 15, 2024 at 11:40AM
https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMidGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJsYXplcnNlZGdlLmNvbS8yMDI0LzMvMTQvMjQxMDE0MDcvcmVjYXAtdmlkZW8tZmluYWwtYm94c2NvcmUtYmxhemVycy1rbmlja3MtamFsZW4tYnJ1bnNvbi1kZWFuZHJlLWF5dG9u0gEA?oc=5
Blazers Play Hard, Fall to Knicks Anyway, 105-93 - Blazer's Edge
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