Josh Hart and the Portland Trail Blazers (26-42) took on Julius Randle and the New York Knicks (29-40) in part of the Wednesday NBA slate. The Knicks handily won with 128-98 being the final score.
The Knicks received a strong 31 points, four rebounds, and five assists from RJ Barrett to set the tone in this one. The efficiency Barrett played with was strong and was yet another example of his potential.
If you look at the basic counting stats, Julius Randle had a solid outing with 20 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists. However, he shot an abysmal 5-18 FG (27.8 percent) and came up empty on all five of his perimeter attempts. What helped him was going 10-12 (83.3 percent) from the line.
It has been a struggle for the Trail Blazers to win games, in general, this season, but particularly when they are on the road. They are now 9-24 as the away team and have lost six consecutive road games.
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Without Anfernee Simons or Damian Lillard in the lineup, the Trail Blazers have a real lack of firepower, but Josh Hart’s taken full advantage with averages of 18.7 points in his last 10 outings leading into this game.
The New York Knicks entered this game with a losing record (13-19) at home but they do have more available talent than the Portland Trail Blazers. Julius Randle entered the game averaging 20.5 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 5.2 assists on the season along with RJ Barrett posting averages of 19.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.9 assists.
Neither of these two teams likely will be in the 2022 NBA playoffs, but there is always a reason for players to compete hard to showcase their value.
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