• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Knicks hit road after tough home stretch

Feb 8, 2009 - 8:23 AM New York (21-28) at Portland (30-19) 6:00 p.m. EST

PORTLAND, Oregon (Ticker) -- After a brutal stretch at home, the New York Knicks are about to get rewarded with a three-game West Coast swing.

The Knicks will be looking to snap a three-game slide when they face the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday.

New York had to face the three best teams in the NBA in succession this week, watching Kobe Bryant drop 61 points Monday in a 126-117 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers and allowing LeBron James to post 52 points and a near triple-double in a 107-102 setback on Wednesday.

The Knicks did not have to deal with any overwhelming individual performances on Friday but still suffered through a 110-100 loss to the Boston Celtics, who shot 14-of-16 in the fourth quarter.

Al Harrington stood up to the competition for New York, averaging 30 points over the three games.

The Blazers are returning home after suffering a loss to one of the worst teams in the league, 102-93, at Oklahoma City on Friday. Portland allowed the lowly Thunder to shoot 50 percent from the floor.

The Blazers are much stronger at the Rose Garden, where they have won three straight and own an 18-5 mark.

Portland won the first meeting of the season, 104-97, on December 2 as Brandon Roy scored 23 points.