The Knicks (25\*-14) had lost five of their last six. Portland Trail Blazers (19-21) had won seven of their last eight. We expected an exciting contest, and these two delivered. In a game with 19 lead changes, the Bockers built an 11-point edge but surrendered the lead by the middle of the fourth quarter. Rather than folding, New York dug deep, turned defense into offense, and outscored Portland 24-10 down the stretch (including four straight threes), to win it, 123-114.
In the first quarter, Mikal Bridges set the tempo for the visitors and Josh Hart—back after an eight-game absence—led them with eight points. Hart would finish the night with 18 points, six assists, two steals, and a block. Welcome back, indeed!
At least twice, Jalen Brunson came upon the very large Clingan, considered testing him, and wisely reconsidered. Who can blame him? J.B. dished a few dimes in the quarter, which is always nice to see. He tallied 26 points and eight assists in 36 minutes.
For the Blazers, Shaedon Sharpe (23 points overall) provided a consistent spark and highlights, while Donovan Clingan (eight points, eight rebounds tonight) exerted himself in the paint and their team converted 62% from the floor. New York’s offense was humming, too, and controlled the middle section before blowing a seven-point lead and allowing a 9-0 Blazers run. Thanks to Bridges’ alley-oop, the score flattened to 34 apiece at the break.
The second quarter was even more of a see-saw. The Knicks’ perimeter shooting lost its bite, so they began attacking the interior to mixed results. KAT had an easier time reaching the rim when Robert Williams III replaced Clingan. Interestingly, Tyler Kolek was a DNP for the half. If he’s not banged up, maybe Mike Brown is having doubts.
Whenever the Knicks threatened to take off, Portland received timely buckets from rookie Caleb Love and Sharpe. The undrafted Love is a streaky shooter and canned three triples in the first half. Go figure. After 15 lead changes, and behind Towns’ 15 points and seven boards, New York held a 65-60 lead at intermission. KAT closed his night with a 20-11 double-double.
Through the first half, the Knicks shot 52%, dominated the glass 25–17, and outscored the home team 34–24 in the paint. Portland plays fast and kept the game competitive with a 20-8 fast-break advantage. Four New York starters with double-digit points by halftime? Love it.
After halftime, the Knicks slowly extended their lead to 10 points, thanks to Brunson and Towns scoring at multiple levels. Portland fought back and narrowed the deficit to four behind Deni Avdija’s interior scoring (and three steals). Bridges, Brunson, and Deuce McBride combined for a 6-0 run, but more inspired play by Love cut the score to 90-85 at the buzzer.
Horrors! Advija, Love, and TimeLord led the Blazers on a 10-2 run to start the final frame. Advija finished his night with 25 points, five boards, four assists, and five turnovers. Playing from behind, the Knicks regrouped thanks to the heroics of Hart, Brunson, and Anunoby (OG was a monster tonight: 24 points, seven boards, +10). An intensified defense led to offense, as Hart and Robinson chased down loose balls and flipped the game back in the right direction. Josh finished in transition, McBride and Anunoby hit well-timed threes, and Captain Clutch (_he’s baaack!_) buried a long ball to restore a 10-point lead.
With two minutes to go, Advija went up for a rebound, tweaked his back when he landed, and hustled off to the locker room. Sharpe tossed in a triple immediately after a timeout, but the Knicks scored five unanswered to put the final nail in this coffin.
The Knicks outshot the Blazers from the field (51% to 48%) and deep (37% to 31%) and controlled the glass, 45-39. Weirdly, Portland shot 25 free throws while New York attempted just eight. For the Knicks, 18 fouls; for the Blazers, eight. _Zebras, man._
For you lucky lot, Professor Miranda is putting a ribbon on a proper recap. For the Knicks, it’s a trip in Sacramento for a clash with the Kings on Wednesday. Two days off! Safe travels, Knickerbockers.
_\* Should be one more, but the Cup final doesn’t count._[](/knicks-game-previews/77766/game-preview-knicks-at-trail-blazers-january-11-2026#comments)