Knicks at Portland: Injuries to Consider in your NBA betting

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The New York Knicks are 1-2 on their four-game West Coast trip that wraps up tonight in Portland. The Knicks got star Jalen Brunson back for the first game of the trip, only to lose him again to injury. Brunson is doubtful tonight in Portland, while Blazers superstar Damian Lillard is in question with his own injury. New York is currently -2.5 on the NBA odds.

Tuesday Knicks vs. Blazers NBA: Jalen Brunson Doubtful, Damian Lillard Questionable

Odds: New York -2.5
When: Tuesday, March 14, 2023 at 10:00 pm ET
Where: Moda Center, Portland, OR
TV / Streaming: NBA League Pass, MSG, Root Sports

The Knicks upset the Lakers 112-108 without Brunson, who was seen wearing a walking boot on the bench Sunday after reinjuring his foot in Thursday’s game at Sacramento.

“Just continue to do his treatments and we’ll see where he is. When he’s ready to go, he’s ready to go,” Coach Tom Thibodeau said of Brunson’s status going forward. “It’s not Jalen by himself. It’s Jalen with the medical. So he’s got a say in it, but the medical has to clear him. So there’s a number of people involved in a decision. We’re not going to put him in harm’s way.”

Brunson ranks third in the NBA with 131 clutch points, trailing De’Aaron Fox of the Kings and Jimmy Butler of the Heat. Brunson is shooting 50.6% including 37.5% from downtown during clutch time with only four turnovers. Brunson is also one of two players in the NBA averaging at least 23.5 points, 6.0 assists and 3.5 rebounds while shooting at least 48% FG and 40% 3PT. Steph Curry is the other. Immanuel Quickley has been starting for Brunson. Quickley had 15 points and three assists in 31 minutes vs. the Lakers.

Julius Randle dominated LA with 33 points, eight rebounds and five assists. After having one of his worst games of the season in Saturday’s loss to the Clippers, Randle bounced back Sunday. He scored 25 of his 33 points in the first half and has scored 30 or more in 21 games this season. Randle ranks seventh in points (25.1 points) and 4th in rebounds (10.3 rebounds) in Eastern Conference and is one of four players in the NBA averaging at least 20.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists (Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic). Brunson and Randle are the first pair of teammates in Knicks history to each have at least three 40-point games in the same season (2022-23).

At 40-30, the Knicks sit sixth in the East so every win is important as they look to avoid the play-in tournament. Portland (31-37) is 13th in the West and probably won’t play extra basketball. The Blazers lost their third in a row Sunday, 127-110 in New Orleans. Lillard was out because of tightness in his right calf and is officially questionable here.

Lillard, who had a 71-point game earlier this season and also won the All-Star 3-Point Contest, has scored at least 20 points in 28 straight games, marking the longest active streak of 20-plus point games in the NBA this season. If he does play tonight, he’ll pass Bob Lanier as the No. 55 overall scorer in NBA history.

Also questionable tonight Jerami Grant due to a left quad contusion. Grant hasn’t been on the injury report since before the All-Star break. Portland has three players averaging 20 or more points this season: Lillard (32.1), Anfernee Simons (21.2) and Grant (20.5). The Trail Blazers have never had a season in which three players were averaging 20-plus points.

This will be the final meeting of the season between the Knicks and Blazers. Portland won at New York 132-129 in overtime on Nov. 25. Grant recorded a career-high 44 points, and his 21 free throws made and 28 attempted set franchise records. In 18 career games against New York, Lillard has scored 30-plus points six times.

Josh Hart will return to Portland for the first time since being traded to the Knicks on Feb. 9 in exchange for Cam Reddish, Ryan Arcidiacono and a 2023 first round pick. Seems like a trade that has worked for both teams as Reddish is starting in Portland and finally showing some signs of being a solid player.

The 23-year-old Reddish has been quoted since the trade as saying he believes politics and favoritism were factors in his banishment to the bench and his expulsion from the Knicks, adding he’s “enjoying basketball again” in Portland. He is averaging 13.6 points and shooting 36.1 percent from 3-point range in 13 games (11 starts) since the trade.

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