Portland Trail Blazers knock off the New York Knicks after strong second half

After a strong second half, the Portland Trail Blazers defeated the New York Knicks, 111-101.

The Portland Trail Blazers defeated the New York Knicks at home, 111-101, which was good for their second win in a row. Although the club came out the gate sluggish, they surged after the halftime break and never looked back. Portland led by as many as 18, and they have continued their streak of perfection this season when holding a lead going into the fourth, going 23-0. This victory marks the official halfway point in the season.

The Blazers improve to 24-17, while the Knicks fall to 10-30.

Jusuf Nurkic came out the gate swinging, scoring the Blazers’ first six points of the contest. Although he didn’t get the same looks throughout the game, his final stat line was still both impressive and economical: 20 points and seven rebounds.

CJ McCollum hit a few big shots and made a couple impressive moves. Though he remained fairly inefficient, he finished the game with a team-high plus-minus with +12. He had 17 points, two assists, and three boards.

Damian Lillard had a fairly quiet night on his way to 17 points, nine assists, and four boards.

But perhaps the story of the night belongs to Jake Layman. Since Nik Stauskas has fallen out of the rotation due to his recent struggles, Head Coach Terry Stotts has opted to play Layman in his place over the last two games. He has played decently. Tonight, he did not disappoint.

Layman finished the night with his first career double-double with 10 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists in 21 minutes. These are far more versatile numbers than Stauskas often offers.

And although Stauskas can help the Blazers move the ball around the low block with his creative vision, Layman offered up some of his best Nik impressions.

Check out this portion of ball-movement that gets Al-Farouq Aminu an easy slam:

Due to Maurice Harkless experiencing soreness in his left knee, Layman also started the second half in his spot. He did well to provide the spark in the third quarter to help the Blazers run away with this one. Portland lost little with their starter out.

No doubt, Layman is making a persuasive case to keep him in the rotation over Stauskas.

On New York’s side, they enjoyed solid performances from Noah Vonleh, Emmanuel Mudiay, and Mario Hezonja. Vonleh put up a double-double with 16 points and 12 boards. Mudiay secured 17 points and seven assists. And Hezonja had 14 points to go along with seven boards.

Still, they were outmatched by Portland’s talent and firepower. Once the Blazers flipped the switch to separate themselves from the Knicks in the third, they were clearly proven the better team.

Coming up next, the Portland Trail Blazers take on the Chicago Bulls on January 9 at 7:00 P.S.T.