Porzingis, Rose help Knicks edge Blazers, 107-103

The meeting lasted for almost an hour, but Carmelo Anthony said that Jackson barely spoke at all. You can see how much they care by the fact that the players held a team meeting on Saturday to figure out what they can do to right the ship. It was Denver’s 10th straight home win over the Bulls and its 16th in the last 17 meetings at Pepsi Center.

Porzingis contributed a 31-point performance, establishing himself as the Knicks’ go-to guy against Portland. They all complement Porzingis so well, but are certainly confident in their own offensive strengths once their numbers are called instead. Derrick Rose [Image by Rob Carr/Getty Images] Kristaps Porzingis, a strong candidate for NBA Rookie of the Year last season, is starting to understand that he can take full advantage of the defensive attention that his more high profile teammates attract. But once Jennings came in with the second unit the game totally changed. “I am used to being in positions where I have the ball in my hands”. “I’ve really played like that my entire life”. Rose ended the night with 18 points and five assists, and had one moment in particular that got all of Madison Square Garden roaring.

When Anthony passed the ball to Derrick Rose, Courtney Lee darted over, mid-action, and dapped him up.

Rose and Jennings were brought in as part of a major facelift for the Knicks. On the flip side, the New York Knicks are going to need to figure out how to slow down Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum.

Evan Turner hasn’t found his groove just yet in Portland.

When Kristaps Porzingis scored his career-high 35 points against the Pistons, the reaction was akin to a coming-out party or a high school graduation. It didn’t last long, as Rose took over.

The best came in the final 10 seconds of Tuesday’s 107-103 victory over the Trail Blazers, when Rose hit his biggest shot as a Knick and sent the electric throng home in support of a.500 team into Thanksgiving.

The Knicks were able to overcome a huge free throw disparity, as the Trail Blazers had 26 attempts to only eight for the Knicks.

Portland trailed by only three points after the first quarter against New Orleans on Friday night and was up by three against Brooklyn on Sunday, but the trend of being down double digits heading into the second quarter has been a continuous pattern.

Jennings sparked that group, moving the ball and getting everyone involved.

Portland went on another run to start the fourth quarter as they continued to work the pick-and-roll with Lillard. To cap things off, the second year Latvian star also pulled down nine rebounds and had a block.

He fed Kuzminskas for a dunk that made it 48-45 with 4:54 remaining in the half. He’s truly been a flawless compliment when playing with Porzingis in his 10 appearances, but has also shown the propensity to anchor down the team’s second unit defensively, while adding a somewhat surprising knack for finishing around the basket.

Later, the Knicks extended to 55-48 on three-pointer by Anthony with 2:55 left.

Marshall got the Garden midway through the first quarter of the game with the Hawks, and the team had him in shortly into the second quarter. Jennings registered four points, two rebounds, four assists, and two steals in his first nine minutes. The Knicks are averaging just 102.4 points per game on offense while the defense is allowing 106.2 points per contest. It has struggled with second-chance points, miscommunications and breakdowns, allowing 47.9 points in the paint, third-worst in the National Basketball Association.