The Portland Trail Blazers finally lost a game in 2026, falling 123-114 to the New York Knicks on Sunday afternoon. The loss snaps Portland’s five-game winning streak and keeps their record below .500 on the season.
The Blazers (19-21) led with less than five minutes to play, but things went very poorly after that. The Blazers were careless with the ball while the Knicks (25-14) got hot from behind the three-point line as they pulled away.
But the Blazers initially worried about losing much more than
a game after Deni Avdija departed with 1:53 to play in the fourth quarter. After securing a rebound, Avdija landed, tossed the ball to a teammate, grabbed his lower back, and signaled to the bench that he needed to come out, walking straight to the locker room. Fortunately, subsequent reporting from our own Conor Bergin suggests the injury isn’t major. Said Avdija, “I’m not really concerned. I’m a tough guy. I’m gonna be alright… I’m telling you, as soon as I’m walking on two feet, I’ll be able to play. Other than that, I’m playing.”
As of this writing, the extent of the injury is unknown, but even if it’s minor, an Avdija injury is deflating news for a team that entered the game with momentum and was just starting to get key players back from injury.
Avdija led the Blazers with 25 points. Shaedon Sharpe added 23 and Caleb Love had 21 off the bench. Jalen Brunson led a balanced Knicks offense with 26 points. All five Knicks starters scored at least 18 points.
Here are a few key observations from the game:
The Return of Jrue Holiday
The Blazers finally got good news on the injury front before the game when it was announced that Jrue Holiday would be available. Holiday came off the bench in the second quarter and almost immediately made a three-pointer, but his minutes were limited as he ramps back up. He finished with eight points and four assists in 16 minutes.
Holiday missed 27 games, but his return comes at a critical time for the Blazers, especially if Avdija has to miss any time. Before his injury, Holiday was averaging 8.3 assists per game as the team’s lead facilitator.
Defensive Matchups
The Avdija injury and Holiday’s return are the main stories, but the game itself featured an interesting chess match between Tiago Splitter and Knicks Coach Mike Brown.
The Blazers started the game by having Center Donovan Clingan guard former Blazer Josh Hart, while Sidy Cissoko checked Karl Anthony-Towns. Towns has been a prolific three-point shooter throughout his career, while Hart is not known for his outside shooting.
Hart’s numbers this season are actually pretty good, and he made the Blazers pay, making two early three-pointers and drawing Clingan out of the paint. On the season, Hart is shooting 38.9% and has made 41.8% of his three-point shots since moving into the starting lineup.
With Clingan struggling to defend on the perimeter, Splitter went to the more mobile Robert Williams III whenever Towns was at center. When offensive rebounding specialist Mitchell Robinson came off the bench, Clingan would come back in.
Williams was originally questionable for this game after leaving Friday’s win over Houston after only seven minutes. There were no signs of a lingering injury as he was a team-best +15, making all five of his shots, including a corner three-pointer, and scoring 12 points to go along with four rebounds and two blocks.
Additional Lineup Flexibility
It wasn’t just Williams giving the Blazers a different look. Holiday made a bigger difference than his modest numbers would indicate. He played briefly with Avdija when he first came off the bench but played a lot of his minutes while Avdija rested.
The Blazers actually employed a three-guard lineup for much of Holiday’s time on the court, pairing him with Sharpe and Love. With so many of their guards out with injuries, that lineup combination was a new one for the Blazers.
Holiday played the first 12 games of the season, but Love was not part of the rotation during that early stretch of the season.
Love Means Never Having to Say “Pass Up a Shot”
Love had another strong game. He made five of his 12 (!!!) three-pointers and continued to show that he can do much more offensively. He had crafty finishes on fast breaks, an elbow jumper, and excellent passing. Two of his four assists came on perfect alley-oop lobs to Sharpe, including one from the half-court line. Love led all Blazers with 18 total shot attempts, and he continues a torrid stretch where he’s scored in double digits for 11 consecutive games, playing at least 24 minutes in all of them.
Closing Lineup
The Blazers led 104-103 with five minutes left to play. Between Clingan and Williams, the return of Holiday, and the strong play of Love, it was hard to know how Splitter would choose to close out the game.
Unfortunately, we never really got to find out as the game quickly got away from the Blazers. The Knicks went on an 11-0 run, aided by three Portland turnovers and as many Knicks triples.
Then Avdija’s injury took the air out of any potential comeback. A Sharpe three-pointer cut the lead to five points with 1:48 to play, but the Blazers weren’t able to get stops down the stretch.
It was the first loss in 2026 for the Blazers. How big of a loss? We’ll find out when we have more news about the seriousness of Avdija’s injury.
Up Next
The Blazers head out on the road to play the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday at 8pm Pacific.
