The New York Knicks were without their top scorer Carmelo Anthony and top defender Tyson Chandler Thursday night in Portland, and were outlasted by the Trailblazers at home in a 105-90 defeat.
J.R. Smith scored 33 points on 11-of-21 shooting off the bench, including 18 points in the fourth quarter alone, but he couldn't combat Portland's team effort all on his own. The Knicks received putrid shooting nights from Jason Kidd, who was 1-of-8 and Raymond Felton, who shot 4-of-12. They combined for 14 points, and Felton was roundly booed throughout the night, much like Anthony was in Denver.
Felton said the booing didn't affect his play. ''It was what I expected,'' Felton said after the game. ''Some boos. Boos the whole time, actually. It was funny. It made me laugh.'' Felton had the worst year of his career last season in Portland and was out of shape all season. He reignited the fans' anger toward him with comments he made in Newsday that read, ''There are certain people there I don't want to see and better not come near me.'' Blazers coach Terry Stotts acknowledged the frenzied atmosphere when he spoke to the media. ''Obviously, there's strong feelings about Raymond Felton here. One of the things I've enjoyed about being in Portland is how passionate the fans are.''
Kidd refused to make excuses about missing Anthony and Chandler, telling reporters ''Being short-handed didn't affect us at all (tonight). We got off to a good start. But that second half, we just didn't play like we did in the first.''
The Knicks had jumped out to a 30-22 lead after one quarter, but were outscored 83-60 the rest of the way, including a disastrous 27-14 third quarter. LaMarcus Aldridge and J.J. Hickson pounded the Knicks on the boards, combining for 26 rebounds while Aldridge added 22 points to the mix.
Point guard Damian Lillard ran circles around the Knicks piling up 26 points and 10 assists while sticking dagger after dagger in New York from beyond the arc as they feverishly attempted to narrow the gap in the fourth quarter. Aldridge, Hickson and Lillard all posted double-doubles in the victory.
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