When the Knicks (30*-18) battled the Portland Trail Blazers (23-26) earlier this month, they had struggled a bit to contain the youngsters, only putting the game away late in the fourth quarter. Tonight,
New York was clearly intent on putting a stamp on the game early, and so they did with a 24-point first-half lead. As is usually the case, they let the rope slip after building such a comfy cushion. Still, Portland never cut the deficit to single-digits in the second half and instead watched it reach 33 points before the final, merciful buzzer. Their 127-87 wire-to-wire win was New York’s fifth straight and marked the fifth time in seven games that the Knicks have held an opponent under 100 points. Vibe check: pretty, pretty, pretty good.
At the start, the Knicks charged the paint to set a physical tone. Eight of their first fifteen points came in the paint, with Josh Hart acting as a primary bulldozer. He took 17 shots tonight and finished with 20 points, six boards, six assists, two steals, and a block. The rim was also where the league’s top two rebounders squared off, with Karl-Anthony Towns outperforming Donovan Clingan 2:1 on the glass. School was in session tonight! Towns finished the game with 14 points, 20 rebounds, and one foul—two nights after grabbing a season-high 22 boards and committing no fouls in Toronto. 42 rebounds in two games is impressive, no? Clingan ended the game with just six boards and seven points.
From the tip, Portland heaved a bushel of threes (as is their nature) and missed most of them (as is their nature). Overall, they would shoot 13-of-43 from downtown.
Jalen Brunson (26 points, 5-of-12 3PT) met little resistance tonight and, in Q1, he executed a four-point play, getting fouled on a made three. Portland did not look like a very disciplined team. Midway through the quarter, Mohamed Diawara, Mitchell Robinson, and Landry Shamet subbed in and, with them on the floor, New York pushed the lead to nine. From there, the Blazers unraveled quickly, Mitchell Robinson picked up where KAT left off, and the home team was ahead 37-22 heading into the second period.
Tyler Kolek must be back in Mike Brown’s good graces. The sophomore led the troops to start the second quarter, giving Brunson a blow. Over the first leg of the frame, the Knicks rolled their lead out to 24—but the Oregonians answered a 12-0 Knicks’ run with a 15-2 stretch of their own, cutting the deficit to 13. Portland had a chance narrow the score even further, but couldn’t stop giving the ball away. By halftime, they’d committed eight turnovers to New York’s four.
As the second quarter progressed, New York’s shooting regressed. That gave Portland some oxygen and Shaedon Sharpe provided the spark, knocking down a couple of threes. Jerami Grant chipped in a few, too, and soon the visitors had cut the leash to eight with a minute left. During that stretch, New York went over five minutes without a bucket, taking their contractually obligated post-big-lead respite. With the relief of a triple from Brunson, New York crept into intermission up 59-49.
Through the half, New York shot better overall (46% to 41%) and from three (50% to 41%), and had won the paint (22–16). Part of the problem for Portland? Their Deni Avdija, the ice cream maven and rising star forward, was sufficiently neutralized by the Knicks all night. A game-time-decision with a back issue, he shot 4-of-14 from the field and finished with 11 points. Usually, he shoots almost 10 free throws per game. Tonight, the refs were stingy in his direction, giving him just three shots from the stripe.
New York began the third period with a 14-9 stretch. Portland tried to push the pace but could never build a head of steam. Jalen Brunson kept things orderly and, with this bucket, scored the 10,000th career point of his career.
The Blazers could not reduce the deficit to single digits and headed into the final frame behind, 87-69. Recently, Jrue Holiday had been mentioned as a player New York was monitoring before the February 5 trade deadline. Tonight, he shot 2-of-7 from the field. Maybe don’t hurry to make that trade, Leon?
Kolek continued to make the most of his opportunity, lacing 3-of-5 from deep for 13 points and dishing four dimes in 17 minutes. Also having a good time: OG Anunoby, who scored 10 of his 24 points (10-of-17 FG, 4-of-8 3PT) to help slam the door early. Around the four-minute mark, with a 29-point lead, Coach Brown sent in Ariel Hukporti, Dillon Jones, and Guerschon Yabusele to join Kolek and Diawara in riding out the win. This was a first appearance for Jones, who signed a two-way deal ten days ago. He celebrated the moment with a three-pointer, and by the curtain, New York celebrated a 127-97 win.
Up Next
For you folks, Professor Miranda is preparing his lesson plan. For the Knicks, the Los Angeles Lakers roll into Manhattan for a showdown on Sunday. Rest up, Knickerbockers.
* Should be one more, but the NBA Cup final didn’t count.
