Whatever was said in that team meeting last weekend seems to be working for the Knicks. In the two games since, they've played more freely and with more passion.
They gave all-out effort in the fourth quarter on both ends of the floor and squeaked out a 107-103 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden. It was the Knicks' fifth straight home win, and they're at .500 (7-7) for the first time since they were 1-1.
Kristaps Porzingis led the Knicks with 31 points, but they got big performances from a lot of players. Derrick Rose was huge down the stretch. After the Blazers took a 101-98 lead with just under four minutes left, Rose accounted for the Knicks' final four baskets, scoring three. The biggest was with the Knicks clinging to a 107-105 lead. Rose hit a step-back jumper from the left wing that rattled in with 6.8 seconds left.
Rose had 18 points and five assists. Carmelo Anthony added 17 and kept alive the possession that led to Rose's clinching basket. Anthony slapped out an offensive rebound and the Knicks got possession.
Rookie Mindaugas Kuzminskas scored 10 points, including a 3-pointer from Rose to put the Knicks up four with 2:35 left. Backup point guard Brandon Jennings had 11 assists.
Damian Lillard led the Blazers (8-8) with 22 points, but had a costly turnover in the final minute. C.J. McCollum scored 17 and Maurice Harkless 15.
In the fourth, Portland went ahead 97-93 on an Evan Turner jumper with 6:28 to go. On the ensuing possession, Porzingis drilled a 3-pointer. The Knicks eventually took the lead, 98-97, on a Courtney Lee put-back with 4:51 left.
The Blazers regained the lead on a Lillard jumper and went up 101-98 on Harkless' basket with 3:58 left. It didn't last long, as Rose took over. Rose hit a jumper, converted an athletic reverse layup and fed Kuzminskas for the 3 from the top of the key. It stayed that way until two Lillard foul shots with 1:22 remaining. On the other end, Harkless stuffed an Anthony jumper, but the Knicks came up with a key turnover when Lillard's bad pass went out of bounds.
Rose then missed a floater but Anthony kept it alive, slapping it out, and Lee corralled the ball.
The Knicks got off to a sluggish start defensively and heard groans and grumbles from crowd after Portland made seven of its first 10 shots and led 19-12 midway through the first quarter.
They gave up 33 in the quarter, but the Knicks picked up their defensive intensity when the second quarter opened while using four subs and Porzingis. That lineup played with energy, effort and unselfishness and helped erase what was once a nine-point deficit.
Jennings sparked that group, moving the ball and getting everyone involved. He and Porzingis continue to work well together. Jennings was responsible for six of the Knicks' first nine field goals in the second _ four assists and two baskets.
He fed Kuzminskas for a dunk that made it 48-45 with 4:54 remaining in the half. Porzingis scored 10 in the 20-12 run.
Later, the Knicks extended to 55-48 on 3-pointer by Anthony with 2:55 left. They shot 14-for-23 (60.9 percent) overall in the opening half and scored 32 points in the second quarter. Jennings assisted on six of the 14 baskets.
But the Knicks' defense slipped at the end of the half. Portland made five of its last six shots, four of them dunks or layups. The Knicks were up only 60-58 at halftime.
The Blazers opened the third by hitting two of their first three shots and went ahead 63-60 on a Harkless layup.
After their hot second quarter, the Knicks struggled to score in the third. They had only 14 points in the first 10:40 and were down 79-74. But they ended the quarter on a 7-2 run and to tie it at 81. Jennings assisted on the last three baskets, the final one a Kuzminskas' 3-pointer with 4.6 seconds left.
