Knicks at Trail Blazers
The New York Knicks and Portland Trail Blazers could be missing key players when they meet Sunday in Portland. Trail Blazers leading scorer and rebounder LaMarcus Aldridge missed Saturday’s practice with an illness and was listed as doubtful. New York played without second-leading scorer and top rebounder Amar’e Stoudemire in its overtime loss Saturday night at the Sacramento Kings and the soreness in his right knee is expected to sideline the 13-year veteran the entire three-game trip.
Aldridge had 24 points and 11 rebounds when these teams met earlier this month in New York and that was big in Portland’s 103-99 victory, as Stoudemire countered with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Damian Lillard and Wesley Matthews shot 5-for-14 from long range in that game and the Knicks would certainly take those numbers in the rematch, as they came into Saturday allowing opponents to shoot a league-high 39 percent from the arc. Lillard and Matthews have combined to shoot 23-for-42 from long range in the last two games, and the Trail Blazers have nailed 35-of-74 from long range in that span.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, MSG (New York), CSN-NW (Portland)
ABOUT THE KNICKS (5-27): New York has lost five straight overall to the Trail Blazers and will face several obstacles if they hope to end that skid. Not only did the Knicks lose an overtime game the night before on the road, but they’ll likley be without one of their best players in Stoudemire and two other key contributors in J.R. Smith (foot) and Iman Shumpert (shoulder). If there’s one bright spot lately it’s been the play of Cole Aldrich, a fifth-year center who scored a career-high 18 points against the Kings.
ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS (24-7): The Trail Blazers have won seven of their last eight games and that includes two wins against the San Antonio Spurs and another against the Oklahoma City Thunder, but on second glance both opponents were also missing star players in the losses. Portland will face another shorthanded team in the Knicks and need to avoid looking ahead to Tuesday’s visit by the East-leading Toronto Raptors. That happened earlier this month when the Trail Blazers were beaten by the 4-16 Minnesota Timberwolves, two days before they faced the Chicago Bulls.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Matthews and Lillard are No. 1 and 2 in the NBA in 3-pointers made with 90 and 85, respectively.
2. Portland will be trying to sweep the Knicks in three straight seasons for the second time in franchise history.
3. The Trail Blazers have been the toughest NBA team to score against from beyond the arc, as opponents come in shooting 29.7.
PREDICTION: Trail Blazers 116, Knicks 95