The New York Knicks and Portland Trail Blazers are playing live on the NBA schedule on Saturday night and the game from the Moda Center starts at 10 pm ET. Robin Lopez makes his return to Portland and Knicks are coming in looking to snap a four game losing streak as they finish up a road trip.
The Knicks have played above expectations this season, but they have struggled as of late and now are looking to salvage this part of the road trip with a win. The team last won against the Nets at home and since then they have lost against the Bucks, Mavericks, Jazz and Kings heading into the Blazers game. The Knicks have not played well in Portland in recent years, as Ian Begley reports that they are just 2-12 in the last 14 games they have played in Portland.
The team has only won three of the last 16 overall against Portland, losing the last six and they have also lost the last three times they have been to Portland. The Knicks play against the Timberwolves at home next before hitting the road against the Sixers and then the team will play two straight games at home against the Bulls and the Magic. The team hits the road against the Cavs for the next game and then the team plays back to back away against Atlanta and Boston before coming home against Detroit to finish the month.
The Knicks didn't win game number six on the season last season until January, so being 10-14 is not a bad thing, but the team has lost four in a row and is looking to snap the streak. The Knicks had a close game against the Kings and lost 99-97 and now have lost eight of the past 10 games overall. The Knicks dealt with a bad call against the Kings and the refs missed a foul on Carmelo Anthony and now they have to find a way to rebound.
The Knicks have lost five straight on the road and they did not look good in their performance against the Jazz, allowing 106 points in that game and head coach Derek Fisher said the team needs to play better defensively. The Blazers have Chris Kaman listed on the injury report, while the Knicks do not have anyone listed for the game. Kristaps Porzingis has played well as a rookie for the Knicks and he will be a player to watch as the team heads to Portland.