New York may be out of the playoff race, but Portland looks to take them down on Thursday night and get closer to the eight seed in the Western Conference. The Knicks have struggled mightily down the stretch and join the low ranks of the 76ers and the Magic. The Trail Blazers currently sit 1.5 games out of the last spot heading into Thursday night's action. They fell to Milwaukee 93-90 last time out. Tipoff is set for 10:00 PM Eastern time and the game will be broadcast on NBATV, MSG Network, and KGW in Portland.
Knicks (27-44, 3rd Atlantic, 37-34 ATS)
New York has now lost six of their last seven games and look extremely lost on the defensive side of the ball. Take away the unique 87-81 win in that stretch, and this unit has given up an average of 116.2 points in their last six defeats. The Knicks are currently in the midst of their four-game West Coast swing, and the defense will have to be much more improved if they want to win any of the games with San Antonio looming next.
Derrick Rose (17.8 ppg, 4.4 apg) is questionable for the game as he's dealing with an ankle injury. He's had 35 total points during the West Coast trip so far. Kristaps Porzingis (18.1 ppg, 7.3 rpg) led the way last time against Portland with 31 points.
Trail Blazers (32-38, 4th Northwest, 30-40 ATS)
Portland went 4-1 on their recent five-game road trip, but they returned home on March 21st and had a tough loss to Milwaukee. After having a successful run away from home to stay in the playoff race, it has to be pretty deflating to falter to the Bucks at home. Lucky for them, they still have easy upcoming opponents with these Knicks, the Timberwolves, and the Lakers next.
Meyers Leonard (5.4 ppg) continues to hurt with hip and back pain. He's seen very limited minutes in the last four games and has only two points in the stretch. Leonard is currently listed as probable, but we'll see how much action he gets tonight.
Portland has dominated recent meetings, but New York has won two of the last three matchups. The Trail Blazers are a 12-point favorite and the total O/U is set at 215.5 points. They're 0-4 against the spread in their last four games when they're playing on just one day of rest.
