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Knicks try to put distractions aside vs. Blazers

Dec 2, 2008 - 2:26 PM Portland (12-6) at New York (8-8) 7:30 p.m. EST

NEW YORK (Ticker) -- Despite all the drama surrounding the New York Knicks, the team has actually been pretty exciting on the court.

The Knicks will attempt to put the Stephon Marbury saga aside when they host the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday.

New York on Monday ordered Marbury to stay away from the team after the mercurial point guard and team president Donnie Walsh failed to resolve their ongoing feud and reach a contract buyout.

"After meeting with Stephon and his representative this afternoon, we have directed Stephon not to participate in practice or attend games until further notice," Walsh said in a statement released by the Knicks on Monday. "We want to continue to meet with him to discuss a long-term resolution."

The players who are actually still around have combined to post the highest team scoring average in the Eastern Conference.

The team is coming off a 138-125 victory over the Golden State Warriors. David Lee had 37 points and 21 rebounds and Al Harrington added 36 points in the win.

The Blazers should prove a little tougher than the Warriors, however, as they have won four in a row behind the play of LaMarcus Aldridge and Brandon Roy. The two combined for 88 points over the last two games.

Portland earned a 96-85 win at Detroit on Sunday - the first stop on a five-game road trip.