Final Score: Blazers 94, Knicks 90

Man, at least they competed. It felt certain, even after J.R. Smith and Tim Hardaway Jr. buried huge consecutive threes to narrow the deficit, that the Knicks would lose, but it was nice to see them try. Of course, on the night they actually played with some vigor, moved the ball well, and got the occasional stop (including a ton of takeaways in the fourth), the shooting just dried up. Everyone, all the way down to the previously-hot Carmelo Anthony, went cold late in the game, and what could have been a thrilling, encouraging victory slipped away as so many have before. LaMarcus Aldridge's ridiculous jumper over Tyson Chandler's outstretched hand iced it.

There were positive, to be sure: J.R. Smith played stretches of fantastic drive-and-kick ball, including some bench minutes with a very lively-looking Amar'e Stoudemire. Pablo Prigioni played the whole fourth quarter in Raymond Felton's stead and made some of the little plays that kept the game close.

I dunno. I'm not upset. Or maybe my baseline feeling about the Knicks is so upset that this doesn't register. I dunno. Recap coming tomorrow.