The Portland Trail Blazers (16 - 4) defeated the New York Knicks (4 - 18) 103 - 99 on Sunday at Madison Square Garden in New York. Despite out - scoring the Blazers 24 - 20 in the fourth quarter and nearly making a late comeback, the Knicks came up just short and suffered a tough four - point loss. The Knicks shot 52 percent from the field compared to the Blazers who shot only 42 percent, but were unable to do the little things as they were both out - rebounded and forced into more turnovers than their opponent. This marks the fourth straight victory for the Blazers and eigth straight loss from the Knicks. The superstar duo of LaMarcus Aldridge and Damian Lillard was too much for the Knicks. Aldridge finished with 24 points (9 - 19 FG, 0 - 1 3Pt, 6 - 8 FT) and 11 rebounds, giving him his seventh double - double in the last eight games. He's now averaging 22 points and 10 rebounds on the season. Lillard on the other hand had 20 points (5 - 16 FG, 2 - 8 3Pt) of his own. He was able to get to the free throw line nine times and converted on eight of those attempts. He's combined for 43 points in the last two games, pushing his season averages to 20 points and 7 assists. Wes Matthews was also huge for the Blazers, as he went 5 - for - 11 from the field and 3 - for - 6 from the three - point line to score 18 points. After a tough shooting outing against the Pacers on Thursday, it was good to see him get back on track. Nicolas Batum chipped in 11 points and seven assists. Carmelo Anthony led the Knicks with 23 points (9 - 19 FG, 1 - 4 3Pt, 4 - 6 FT) and 10 rebounds. It was his first double - double of the season, and he's now combined for 55 points and 17 rebounds in his previous two games. The Knicks also received a huge contribution from J.R. Smith. He went 8 - for - 12 from the field and 3 - for - 6 from the three - point line to score 20 points off the bench. It was only the second time this season he's reached the 20 - point mark, so if he can continue to show some offensive consistency, it would go a long way in helping the Knicks improve. Amare Stoudemire got the start at center, and had a solid outing as he recorded 16 points (7 - 11 FG, 2 - 2 FT) and 10 rebounds. It was only his sixth start of the season, but he was able to turn it into his fourth double - double of the year. The Trail Blazers' next game will be on the road against the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday, while the Knicks will travel to New Orleans to play the Pelicans on Tuesday.
["TeamStat(G,'Knicks') has 52 Percentage of field goals ,has 18 Losses ,has 99 Total points ,has 20 Points in 1st quarter ,has 24 Points in 4th quarter ,has 4 Wins ."
 "TeamStat(G,'Trail Blazers') has 42 Percentage of field goals ,has 4 Losses ,has 103 Total points ,has 20 Points in 1st quarter ,has 16 Points in 4th quarter ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'LaMarcus Aldridge') has 8 Assists ,has 1 Defensive rebounds ,has 0 3-pointers attempted ,has 19 3-pointers made ,has 9 Field goals attempted ,has 8 Field goals made ,has 6 Free throws attempted ,has 24 Free throws made ,has 11 Offensive rebounds ,has 2 Personal fouls ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Nicolas Batum') has 7 Assists ,has 11 Defensive rebounds ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Damian Lillard') has 2 Assists ,has 8 Defensive rebounds ,has 2 3-pointers attempted ,has 16 3-pointers made ,has 5 Field goals attempted ,has 9 Field goals made ,has 8 Free throws attempted ,has 20 Free throws made ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Wesley Matthews') has 6 Assists ,has 3 Defensive rebounds ,has 11 3-pointers attempted ,has 5 3-pointers made ,has 18 Field goals attempted ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Carmelo Anthony') has 4 Assists ,has 1 Defensive rebounds ,has 19 3-pointers attempted ,has 9 3-pointers made ,has 6 Field goals attempted ,has 4 Field goals made ,has 2 Free throws attempted ,has 2 Free throws made ,has 23 Offensive rebounds ,has 10 Personal fouls ,has 2 Points ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Amar'e Stoudemire') has 11 Assists ,has 7 Defensive rebounds ,has 2 3-pointers attempted ,has 2 3-pointers made ,has 16 Field goals attempted ,has 10 Field goals made ."]