NBA Game Summary - Portland at New York
03.29.2004
|
New York, NY (Basketball News) - Tim Thomas returned from a groin injury to score a game-high 26 points, allowing the New York Knicks to pull off a crucial 92-91 win over the Portland Trail Blazers at Madison Square Garden.
Stephon Marbury contributed 23 points, eight assists and seven rebounds for New York, which remained in seventh place in the Eastern Conference. The Knicks are one-half game ahead of Boston, which won Monday at New Jersey.
While New York picked up the much-needed win, the loss is costly for the Trail Blazers, who are battling for the eighth spot in the Western Conference. The defeat dropped Portland, which has qualified for the playoffs each of the last 21 years, one-half game behind Utah in the playoff picture.
"This was a huge game for our team and organization," said Knicks forward Vin Baker, who contributed eight points and several key baskets down the stretch. "We played with some urgency."
Damon Stoudamire led the Trail Blazers with 20 points in the defeat. Zach Randolph added 19 points and Derek Anderson chipped in 16, but it was not enough to get Portland back on the winning track on the road. The Blazers kicked off a three-game road trip with the loss, their fifth in seven games away from home.
"This loss hurt," Stoudemire stated. "We have to regroup because we shouldn’t have lost that game."
The Knicks grabbed their first lead of the contest at 83-82 when Kurt Thomas nailed a 10-foot jumper with 3:40 remaining.
The game see-sawed back and forth from there and, behind several key buckets from Randolph, Portland jumped ahead 89-87 with 1:39 left to play. But Marbury got Darius Miles in the air and forced a foul behind the arc. After Marbury hit all three free throws New York had a one-point advantage, a lead they would never relinquish.
"(Miles) knew I was going for the three. So I just shot-faked," Marbury said of the play.
Stoudamire then missed a baseline jumper and Baker came up with a huge basket for New York with a jumper in the lane as the shot clock expired. Baker’s clutch shot allowed New York to take a 92-89 lead with 38.2 seconds left. Theo Ratliff’s dunk got the Blazers within one, but, after a stop at the other end of the court, Stoudamire’s last-second shot missed the rim entirely.
Thomas, who had missed the last four games with the groin injury, showed no ill effects of the injury. He played a major role in the win for New York, scoring 11 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter.
"I was sore. At certain points of the game I felt (the groin injury)," Thomas explained. "I was just aggressive and able to do some of the things I’m comfortable doing."
The game was deadlocked at 20-20 after 12 minutes of play, but Portland created some space with a solid second quarter. The Blazers lead ballooned to eight at 39-31 before New York fought back to close the gap to 47-44 at the break.
Portland stayed ahead the entire third quarter but was unable to pull away.
