The New York Knicks were already shorthanded as it is in Portland and to add to the misfortunate, Carmelo Anthony's knee started to bother him, as he did not come out after halftime in tonight's game against the Blazers. Anthony sat out due to knee soreness, which is the same issue Anthony had problems with a few weeks back when it was reported he might need surgery. That's not a good sign for the Knicks, not just this season but long term. Carmelo signed a five-year deal this past summer.
Even though Carmelo Anthony only played 19 minutes, he was pretty effective, scoring 13 points and pulling down five rebounds. The Knicks were without guards J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert, as well as a couple of big men in Amar'e Stoudemire and Samuel Dalembert. One man who really benefited from all the absent Knicks front line players was Cole Aldrich, scoring 12 points and taking down a game-high 19 rebounds.
Tim Hardaway Jr. got the start again, and he had a good game with 17 points, and Quincy Acy, who was back from his one game suspension, chipped in with 12 points. The Knicks continue their losing streak, with their eighth straight loss and are now 5-28.
The Trail Blazers were also without a few key players, most notably All-Star forward LaMarcus Aldridge and center Robin Lopez. That did not matter much because the Trail Blazers were on fire from beyond the arc. Wesley Matthews made six of those threes and scored a game-high 28 points, shooting 10-for-21 from the field, and Nicolas Batum was 5-of-7 from three with 17 points, and Damian Lillard chipped in with 11 points.
The Portland Trail Blazers continue to roll, as they win their third straight game and are still sitting in second in the Western conference with a 25-7 record.
The Knicks will fly to Los Angeles Wednesday night to face another tough Western conference opponent in the Clippers on New Year's Eve. Tip-off is at 6 pm Eastern Time at the Staples Center. The Blazers are at home Tuesday night to take on the Toronto Raptors, which tips off at 10 pm Eastern Time.