New York @ Portland preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 27, 2017 ) Portland 103, New York 91

Damian Lillard has been on a roll over the past 3 1/2 weeks and his latest scoring binge extended the Portland Trail Blazers' season-best winning streak to seven games. The All-Star point guard aims to lead Portland to a victory over the sinking New York Knicks on Tuesday, one night after scoring 19 fourth-quarter points to rally his team past the Los Angeles Lakers.

Lillard scored 39 points in Monday's 108-103 road triumph as Portland recovered from an 11-point, fourth quarter deficit with less than seven minutes to play - reaching 35 or more points for the sixth time in the past nine games. "I had some bonehead plays in the third - a couple turnovers, missed some free throws," Lillard said in a postgame television interview. "I had a lot of bad plays over the course of the game but it is all about closing it out and finding ways to get it done." New York is sliding in the wrong direction with four consecutive setbacks and 12 in the past 13 games. Coach Jeff Hornacek was highly disappointed with the effort in Sunday's 102-99 loss to the Sacramento Kings in a contest in which his team trailed by 19 points early in the fourth quarter before trimming the margin.

TV: 10 p.m. ET, MSG (New York), NBCS Northwest (Portland)

ABOUT THE KNICKS (24-40): Hornacek was a gritty player during a 14-year NBA career and he doesn't have a high tolerance level for performances that he views as below par or lacking pride. "Some of the guys think they're playing hard," Hornacek told reporters after Sunday's loss. "I'm sure the guys are saying, 'I'm playing as hard as I can.' There's playing hard and playing with desperation and doing what it takes to win. That's an internal thing. If you want to be in this league and be great, that's what you have to do and not just do it when you're down 15 points." The team's recent collapse - partially due to a knee injury to All-Star forward Kristaps Porzingis - also has raised questions about whether or not Hornacek will be invited back for a third season with the Knicks.

ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS (38-26): Lillard is averaging 35.2 points during his nine-game run and his scoring spree has helped Portland ascend to third place in the Western Conference playoff race as well as reach a season-best 12 games over .500. The Trail Blazers can improve their positioning during a stretch in which seven of eight games are at home, beginning with the contest against the Knicks. The performance of center Jusuf Nurkic fluctuates, but he was solid against the Lakers by recording 16 points and 16 rebounds for his 16th double-double of the campaign.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Lillard scored 32 points as the Trail Blazers defeated the Knicks 103-91 in New York on Nov. 27.

2. Portland SF Maurice Harkless (left knee) is questionable after missing the past two games.

3. New York SG Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 24 points against the Kings and is averaging 22 over the past six games.

PREDICTION: Trail Blazers 119, Knicks 98