The Moda Center in Portland shook with cheers of “Let’s go Knicks!” but the encouragement couldn’t keep tonight’s game between the New York Knicks (42-23) and the Trail Blazers (28-39) from reaching overtime. If you’re keeping track, that makes seven OT games for New York this season. In a contest with an NBA season-high 42 lead changes, 38 combined turnovers (23 by Portland), and some of the worst officiating of the year, it took heroics from a Villanova alum to secure a thrilling win as time expired. Captain Clutch? Nope—Mikal Bridges!
Quoth SagaciousNLoquacious: “FIIIIINALLY THE MIKAL THEY TRADED FOR! Dat Boi Cold. WHOOOOOO!!” My sentiments, exactly. Bridges made news before the game, suggesting that the coach should play the bench more. Tonight, we were grateful he was the guy on the court in the clutch.
Did they deserve to win? Probably not. New York were clobbered on the glass 52-38 and did everything they could to blow this game, but they never quit. Bridges finished with 33 points on 13-of-21 shooting in his 41 minutes, and no shot was bigger than his buzzer-beater three over Portland’s rookie center Donovan Clingan.
OG Anunoby added 23 points and seven rebounds while shooting 8-of-20 in his 43 minutes. Karl-Anthony Towns had 21 points, and Josh Hart secured an 11-11 double-double.
For Portland, Deni Avdija logged a 27-point, 15-rebound double-double, and almost made it a triple-double with seven turnovers. Their most important player tonight, though, was Scoot Henderson, who scored 30 points off the bench and nearly single-handedly stole the win from the Knicks. Here’s how it went down.
First Half
On Monday against Sacramento, the Knicks shot 55% from downtown. Tonight was less enjoyable. They missed their first five three-point attempts and eight of their first nine shots overall. Luckily, the Blazers’ aim was equally inept. The home team finished the quarter 7-of-20 from the field.
The score inched back and forth throughout the frame, with neither team gaining much ground until the Knicks pulled ahead by five with two minutes left. The Blazers were dominating the Knicks on the glass, 16-10, but thanks to their poor shooting and seven turnovers, New York carried a 26-21 lead into the second period.
In the second quarter, Portland continued crashing the glass and beating the Knicks to loose balls. However, they had no answer for Karl-Anthony Towns in the paint, as he repeatedly challenged rookie Donovan Clingan at the rim with success. With the rest of the Knicks struggling, Towns accounted for nearly the entirety of New York’s offense. Chauncey Billups, a confounding coach, let KAT roast the rookie (Clingan had three fouls in 11 minutes) while Robert Williams III and Duop Reath languished on the bench. No complaints here—Chauncey’s follies benefited our heroes.
When Reath did play, he logged three blocks and provided much better defense on Towns. Portland crept back into the lead, but Mikal Bridges came to the rescue, scoring eight in the latter half of the quarter and helping New York secure a 48-46 advantage at intermission.
Through the first half, both teams shot around 41% from the field. New York hit a paltry 3-of-13 from deep, while Portland made 8-of-23. The home team had won the battle on the glass, 25-18, but had already committed 14 turnovers. In a shovey, elbow-heavy game, only 14 fouls had been called. For the Knicks, KAT led with 11 points, while for Portland, Deni Avdija had 14 points and 11 boards. If you stayed up to watch this slop, I sympathize.
Second Half
New York started the third 16-10, aided by Anfernee Simons’ atrocious shooting and yet more turnovers. The Knicks led 64-56 when Portland began a comeback, thanks to back-to-back Mikal Bridges fouls. Both teams missed shots and coughed up the ball. Reath’s three, Avdija’s layup, and Shaedon Sharpe’s jumper cut the deficit to one. After a timeout, a Landry Shamet turnover resulted in a Portland go-ahead bucket. Sharpe and McBride traded treys, and the teams were tied at 77 by the buzzer.
Here’s Scoot Henderson causing havoc.
Thanks to more Scoot stuff, Portland took a three-point lead early in the fourth. Around the nine-minute mark, Thibs sent Towns in to play alongside Mitchell Robinson. Given how badly the Knicks had been outmatched on the glass, it seemed an obvious decision. Mitch missed two free throws and was cooked by Scoot, though, and Thibs gave him the hook after less than two minutes.
With a triple from Anunoby and a contested bucket by Hart, New York took a three-point lead midway through. Bridges stayed aggressive despite sitting on five fouls, Avdija hit a go-ahead triple, and a game with over 30 lead changes was still up for grabs. With under two minutes left, KAT drilled two consecutive threes to give the visitors a six-point advantage.
Henderson, who spends far too much time on the bench watching Simons play, banked a trey with a minute left. Bridges responded with a midrange J. Henderson drove for a layup and, thanks to a McBride foul, converted the And-1.
With 40 seconds remaining, the Knicks had possession, but no Jalen Brunson to rock this baby to sleep. Anunoby and Bridges both missed and Portland, down by two, took the ball with seven seconds to go. Henderson drove into Robinson, missing the layup but getting two free throws with three seconds left. After that, McBride missed the rim with a 38-foot shot, and we had overtime. 106-106.
Extra Frame
With the Knicks up 111-110, Anunoby and McBride stopped Henderson at the rim, and the Knicks regained possession. On the inbound pass, however, Hart shuffled down the sideline and was called for a violation. Robinson stuffed Avdija, who grabbed the loose ball and scored while getting fouled by Hart. Down 113-111, three seconds to go, it seemed like New York was dead in the water. But a ‘Nova Wildcat saved the day with a buzzer-beater three—take it away, Mikal:
Up Next
New York treks back down the coast to face the Warriors on Saturday and wrap up this wearisome road trip. Safe travels, Knickerbockers.
Box Score
P.S. Mo Cheeks is a class act.