Trail Blazers at Knicks
The New York Knicks are winners of four straight at home and credited a team meeting with a sharp performance on Sunday. The Knicks will try to carry that momentum into a new week and make it five in a row at Madison Square Garden when they host the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday.
New York allowed the Washington Wizards to shoot 54.3 percent from the field in a 119-112 road loss on Thursday, prompting an hour-long team meeting over the weekend. “You can just see the difference,” star forward Carmelo Anthony told ESPN.com. "I think any time you have a meeting or conversation amongst each other, guys say what they have to say and you get a better understanding of where guys’ mindset is and what they’re thinking, rather than not communicating." The Trail Blazers looked like they could use a meeting after surrendering an average of 117.3 points in three straight losses but appeared to right the ship with a 129-109 win in Brooklyn on Sunday. Portland held the Nets to 39.8 percent shooting and spread the points around on the other end with six players, including three reserves, scoring in double figures.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, CSN Northwest (Portland), MSG (New York)
ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS (8-7): Portland signed swingman Evan Turner to a four-year, $70 million deal over the summer to lead the second unit, but he averaged 7.1 points on 35.2 percent shooting in the first 14 games and went 1-of-7 from the field in a loss at New Orleans on Friday. Turner snapped out of the funk on Sunday with 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting. "When shots go in, it looks completely different," Turner told the team's website. "So right now, not only myself but my team, we're just trying to build consistency on it, turn one good game into two good games, three good games and so on. That's the biggest thing, building consistency and continuity."
ABOUT THE KNICKS (6-7): Consistency and continuity are key words as well for New York, which allowed an average of 117.3 points in its last three road games while limiting opponents to 92.3 points in the last four at home. The Knicks held Atlanta to 40 percent shooting in Sunday's win and leaned on Anthony for 31 points on 12-of-22 shooting on the offensive end. “He’s one of the best in the league at one-on-one play," New York coach Jeff Hornacek told reporters of Anthony. "We have confidence in him when he gets the ball over there, even though guys tend to stand around. We’re trying to get those guys to cut. He threw one off to somebody for 3. In this game, you’re trying to find who that guy is that’s going to command a double-team."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Trail Blazers PG Damian Lillard is 6-of-26 from 3-point range over the last four games.
2. New York C Joakim Noah (illness) sat out Sunday and is day-to-day.
3. The teams split the two-game series last season, with Portland earning a 104-85 win at New York on March 1.