Blazers end five-game road trip in the Big Apple

Portland looks for their first three-game win streak of the season, finishing a five-game road trip against the Knicks.

The Blazers have gone 3-1 in their first four games of their five-game East coast trip, taking their sole loss in Philadelphia.

Tomorrow on Mon. Nov. 27th at 4:30PM Pacific, the Blazers will look to close the trip on a strong note against the New York Knicks.

The game will be available locally on NBC Sports Northwest and on Rip City Radio 620.

Road Trippin’

A back-to-back on Friday and Saturday rewarded the Blazers with consecutive nail-biting wins over the Nets and Wizards. After taking revenge on Allen Crabbe and the Nets, the Blazers hit the ground running in D.C., quickly striking out to an 11-4 lead over the Wizards.

Washington would fight back, and for most of the game Portland would be fighting a deficit. But after trailing by as many as 17 in the fourth quarter, strong defense and a last-minute offensive flurry from CJ McCollum were enough to earn the Blazers the victory, 108-105.

Paging Dr. Knickerbocker

As the Wizards were missing John Wall on Saturday, there is still some question as to the availability of the Knicks’ top talents. Enes Kanter and Kristaps Porzingis both missed Saturday’s road matchup in Houston where the Knicks lost 102-117. The Knicks cited issues with both players’ backs.

Kanter and Porzingis lead the Knicks in points, rebounds, field goal percentage, and blocks, so one could assume the absence of either, let alone both of the frontcourt starters, would have a significant impact on the game.

Blazers Starting Lineup:

Al-Farouq Aminu‘s return to the active roster has been teased across this entire road trip. He’s reportedly been engaged in on-court workouts since last Monday, and the three-week window initially given on November 1st for his sprained ankle has come and gone.

Some folks thought was that he would return on this trip, but it was announced he’d be sitting at least one more game:

With how well the Blazers have played, it makes sense to let Aminu get extra rest until their next home game on Thursday.

Pat Connaughton has upset Moe Harkless for the starting small forward spot, and beyond specific matchups, there are no obvious reasons for Stotts to change course.

PG: Damian Lillard | SG: CJ McCollum | SF: Pat Connaughton | PF: Noah Vonleh | C: Jusuf Nurkic

Players to watch for:

Jusuf Nurkic

So much of the Knicks’ production comes from their frontcourt, particularly the aforementioned starters. If they play, Nurkic will need to be on his best game defensively to hold off Kanter while fighting a full-sized center on the other end… who also happens to be a very capable rebounder.

On the other hand, if neither Kanter nor Porzingis  play, Nurk should be FEASTING against Kyle O’Quinn and Willy Hernangomez.

Noah Vonleh

Vonleh’s job should be focused on shutting down his opponent, no matter who that ends up being. If Porzingis plays, Noah is the most capable big Portland can throw at him with any hope of keeping up. Vonleh’s combination of strength, length, mobility, and smart defense will be key.

Next: What should the Blazers do with Maurice Harkless?

If Porzingis sits, then most of the Knicks’ production will come from Kanter, Michael Beasley, and Tin Hardaway Jr. Vonleh will defend each of them at times, so his efforts could have a large impact.

Portland’s Backcourt

Even when healthy, New York’s overall roster shouldn’t hold up well against Portland. Jarrett Jack, Courtney Lee and Hardaway Jr., with all due respect, can’t hold a candle to what the Blazers roll out in the backcourt. Lillard, McCollum, and Turner should be all smiles when they board the flight home.