Game Preview: New York Knicks at Portland Trail Blazers, March 14, 2024

The rollercoaster ride of unpredictability that is the 2023-24 Knicks season continued on Tuesday night as New York, who was coming off of a four-game stretch that included impressive wins against the Cavaliers and Magic, as well as frustrating losses to the Hawks and Sixers, put on a clinic and dismantled the Sixers 106-79 on national television. OG Anunoby made his triumphant return, Jalen Brunson looked a lot better, Josh Hart notched another triple-double, and the rest of the supporting cast was great as well. And, the team made some history while they were at it, becoming the first team, in true Tom Thibodeau fashion, to hold opponents under 80 points in three straight games since 2012.

Tonight, the Knicks get back to work as they kick off a very important eight-day, four-game West Coast road trip with a game against a 19-46 Trail Blazers team that is in the midst of an abysmal season and will be heavy underdogs. The Knicks, who come into tonight 38-27, theoretically shouldn’t have much trouble taking care of this team given their supreme talent and depth, but Portland is coming off of an exciting 106-102 win over Atlanta and we also know all too well that New York has an uncanny knack for playing down to competition. There’s also some added pressure as well. A regular season game against a struggling team like the Trail Blazers in the middle of March sounds rather mundane and insignificant. But considering that the Knicks have the unenviable task of taking on the Kings, who are 19-12 at home, the Warriors, who recently beat them, and the Nuggets, who are the defending champions, after tonight in what could be the toughest stretch the team has left in the regular season, this game starts to look a lot more like a must-win.

Prediction

With the volatility of this team, it’s not unfathomable that they come out of the gates sluggish and sloppy, allowing Portland to get comfortable and keep this game close. And if we fast-forward to tomorrow morning and learn that the Knicks blew what should have been an easy game, I guess I wouldn’t be all that surprised. It’s happened multiple times this season. That being said, this team hasn’t had too many performances like that with Anunoby in the lineup. With all that has happened in February and March, it can sometimes be easy to forget just how dominant this team was in January when they were healthy. And as a matter of fact, that dominant stretch with Anunoby included these two teams’ last meeting when New York absolutely dominated Portland, defeating them 112-84 at home. Now, they still won’t have Julius Randle, who played in that game, but I see them putting on a similar performance knowing the tough schedule that lies ahead. New York fails to extend their streak of holding opponents under 80 points but still comes away with the victory, 110-90 with another great performance from Hart, who’ll be playing in Portland for just the second time since being traded away.

Game Details

Who: New York Knicks (38-27) at Portland Trail Blazers (19-46)

When: 10:00 pm EST, Thursday, March 14, 2024

Where: Moda Center, Portland, OR

Watch: MSG

Follow: @ptknicksblog