The New York Knicks enter Wednesday's contest against the Portland Trail Blazers looking to pick up another victory and keep pace with the Boston Celtics for second in the Eastern Conference.
Of course, the Knicks are coming off a dominant 133-104 victory against the Sacramento Kings on Monday, but they had lost three consecutive games prior to that victory.
New York now sits five and a half games behind the Celtics for the second seed in the East and they would love to take advantage of a struggling Trail Blazers team who have lost four consecutive games.
The Knicks will have to do so without Jalen Brunson, who continues to be sidelined with an ankle injury that he suffered in last Thursday's loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Brunson is expected to be sidelined for another week due to his injury. Despite this, Miles McBride has stepped up big time filling in for Brunson in the starting lineup, including scoring 21 points and dishing out seven assists in Monday's win.
New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) celebrates with center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) during their game against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena on Dec. 28, 2024. Geoff Burke-Imagn Images © Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
New York will also be without Ariel Hukporti on Wednesday as he continues to recover from a torn meniscus in his left knee.
On the other side, Portland will also be without one of their star players along with some key role players.
The Trail Blazers have ruled out their star center Deandre Ayton who continues to recover from a left calf strain that has kept him out since early February.
Portland has also listed Jerami Grant as doubtful with a knee injury and both Robert Williams III and Matisse Thybulle are listed as questionable due to a knee and ankle injury respectively.
The good news for Portland is that Thybulle is expected to make his season debut on Wednesday against the Knicks, which will give them another great defender in their rotation.
Fans can catch Wednesday night's matchup between the Knicks and Trail Blazers at 10:00 p.m. EST.
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This story was originally published March 12, 2025 at 2:21 PM.