By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The New York Knicks capitalized on the fatigue shown by the Portland Trail Blazers getting the win, 110-99, in a matinee meeting at the Madison Square Garden Saturday.
Elfrid Payton dropped 22 points sharing the team-high with Julius Randle, who also pulled down 11 rebounds for his 16th double-double of the 2020-21 season. RJ Barrett had 18 points and Alec Burks 16 points in a balanced offensive effort paired with effective defense in long stretches of the NBA Regular Season tilt.
The visitors finished the first quarter packing a five-point lead but crumbled in the last game of a seven-game road trip. Damian Lillard slowed down by an early injury still fired up a game-high 29 points. Enes Kanter posted a 13-point, 11-rebound double-double.
The Knicks improved to 11-13 maintaining a spot in the playoffs zone of the Eastern Conference and forced their opponents down to 12-10.
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