Mikal Bridges delivered a moment for the highlight reels, drilling a deep 25-foot three-pointer as time expired to lift the New York Knicks past the Portland Trail Blazers 114-113 in an overtime classic.
Bridges led the way with 33 points, while OG Anunoby added 23 points and 7 rebounds, and Karl-Anthony Towns chipped in with 21 points and 7 boards.
This win didn’t come easy. The Knicks, still without Jalen Brunson after he sprained his ankle in an overtime loss to the Lakers, had been struggling, losing three straight on their West Coast trip to the Warriors, Lakers, and Clippers before bouncing back with a dominant 133-104 win over the Kings.
Against Portland, however, they found themselves in an all-out battle. The game saw an incredible 42 lead changes, keeping fans on the edge of their seats until Bridges’ final dagger.
For some added trivia, Bridges seems to have a flair for the dramatic. On December 4, 2023, while playing for the Brooklyn Nets, he hit a game-winning shot in Atlanta—ironically, in a game that ended with the exact same 114-113 score and set a record with 43 lead changes.
The Knicks had a chance to close things out in regulation, holding a 106-101 lead with 47 seconds left. But Scoot Henderson took over for Portland, converting a three-point play to make it a one-possession game. The Knicks had two chances to ice it—first with an Anunoby corner three, then a Bridges attempt from the opposite corner—but both missed, leaving the door open for the Blazers.
With 3.4 seconds left, Henderson forced his way into the paint, drawing a foul on Mitchell Robinson and sinking both free throws to tie the game at 106. The Knicks had one final shot, but Miles McBride’s deep 38-foot pull-up jumper fell short, sending the game into OT.
“We knew they weren’t going to give up, even after I think we were up six with like 1:10, which we should have sealed the game and closed it out, but we didn’t. But we knew it was going to be a tough grind it out game.”
– Josh Hart
Henderson was electric for Portland, scoring a game-high 30 points off the bench—doubling the entire Knicks bench production, which managed just 15 points. Deni Avdija dominated with 27 points and 15 rebounds, while Shaedon Sharpe added 21.
Despite being crushed on the boards (52-38), the Knicks made up for it in other areas. They outscored the Blazers in the paint 58-44 and took advantage of Portland’s sloppy ball control, forcing 25 turnovers while committing just 15. That edge in forcing mistakes turned into 31 Knicks points off turnovers compared to just 16 for the Blazers.
Up-next: Knicks (42-23) will take on the Warriors (37-28) at Chase Center on Saturday from 8:30pm.
rady
KnicksOnline.com founder. Software tester by day time, sports shooter by free time. Rocking with the orange and blue since the mid 90s.