The New York Knicks have found their stride, and this may be the best version of them all season. On Friday against the Portland Trail Blazers, they got one of their best wins of the season, dominating wire-to-wire to win 127-97 for their fifth consecutive win.
The Knicks’ defense continues its stretch of dominance
Since the Knicks got destroyed at home by the Dallas Mavericks, they have come out with a different type of energy on the defensive end. Against Portland, they once again put on a dominant defensive effort.
They held Portland to 43.2% shooting from the field and 30% from three. Most notably, New York forced the Blazers to turn the ball over 20 times, which has been a hallmark of the Blazers’ season as they lead the league in turnovers per game.
Additionally, this is now the fourth time in the last five games that the Knicks have held their opponents to under 100 points. Their defense has been clicking at the right time, and for the first time all season, they are showing their true potential on that end of the floor.
Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby led the way for the Knicks
Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby have been major catalysts over the course of this winning streak, and they once again contributed strong offensive performances to help the Knicks cruise to a win.
Brunson led the way for New York with 26 points on 8-for-20 shooting from the floor and 5-for-12 from three. Anunoby also knocked in 24 points and shot an efficient 10-for-17 from the field, and he was also a game-high +34 in just 31 minutes.
Josh Hart also had another strong outing despite dealing with ankle soreness. He finished with 20 points, six rebounds, five assists, two steals, and one block as he set the tone early with his hustle and burst.
Karl-Anthony Towns dominated the glass again
Karl-Anthony Towns has not had the dream scoring season, but he has dominated the paint in the last two games. For the second straight game, the league’s leading rebounder added more to his tally with a huge performance.
Towns grabbed 20 rebounds against the Blazers after grabbing 22 in the win over the Raptors. He also chipped in 14 points on 5-for-12 shooting, making his presence felt inside the paint.
Towns has been the subject of trade rumors with the deadline approaching, but these big games are what the team needs more of out him. If he is still on the team past the deadline, they will hope that he can make this kind of dominance a regular thing, as it would change a lot in terms of the Knicks’ championship hopes later on this year.
Overview
The Knicks have nearly erased that awful losing skid with five straight convincing victories. They will have a real challenge ahead on Sunday, as they will face the Los Angeles Lakers in a big battle at home looking for their sixth straight win.