NBA Score: Kristaps Porzingis On Fire, Leads New York Knicks To Victory Over Portland Trail Blazers

Kristaps Porzingis turned heads during his rookie year in the NBA. This year, he is showing even more superstar potential. That was on display when his team hosted a game at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night. The New York Knicks defeated the Portland Trail Blazers by a score of 107-103, as reported by ESPN.

.@kporzee scores 31, @drose delivers in the clutch, & the #Knicks win 5th straight @TheGarden! #NYKvsPOR

[? https://t.co/Uyotdb04k1] pic.twitter.com/5TxFkrFG7D

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) November 23, 2016

Coming into the game against the Portland Trail Blazers, Kristaps Porzingis wanted to be aggressive on the offense end. Taking a game leading 23 shots, the 7-foot-3 power forward ended up with 31 points. Porzingis was also aggressive from beyond the three-point line, taking eight shots and making three of them. To cap things off, the second-year Latvian star also pulled down nine rebounds and had a block.

Carmelo Anthony was aggressive as well, taking 22 shots on the night. He struggled a bit with his shot but was still good enough to contribute 17 points. Like Kristaps Porzingis, Anthony was also aggressive from beyond the arc, taking nine shots. He did manage to hit three of them.

Derrick Rose put up 18 points while shooting efficiently, including some key shots late in the game. The former Chicago Bulls franchise player also added four rebounds, five assists, two steals, and a block. Rose refused to be apologetic after the game when asked about why he decided to take the big shots, reminding people that he has a history of taking and making them.

Mindaugas Kuzminskas showed glimpses of being able to be a regular part of the rotation for the New York Knicks. Off the bench, he provided 10 points, hitting two of those from the outside. Since he can play small forward and power forward, Kuzminskas can help overcome the struggles that Lance Thomas, a gem off the bench last season, has gone through.

Brandon Jennings is proving to be a good playmaker off the bench, dishing out 11 assists. He also had two steals but struggled with his outside shot.

Kyle O’Quinn filled in for Joakim Noah as the starting center, while rookie Willy Hernangomez provided him with quality minutes off the bench.

Damian Lillard led the way for the Portland Trail Blazers, chipping in with 22 points, five rebounds, six assists, and two steals. His back-court partner, CJ McCollum, struggled with his shot but contributed 16 points, five rebounds, and five assists. For most teams, that is a tremendous combined output from their starting guards, but the Blazers are used to be a bit more from Lillard and McCollum.

Without Joakim Noah around to patrol the paint, the starting front court of the Portland Trail Blazers had a very good night on the boards. Maurice Harkless, Ed Davis, and Mason Plumlee combined for 27 rebounds. The trio also chipped in with 38 points. Unfortunately for Portland, though, the trio had trouble defending Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis.

Off the bench, Meyers Leonard attempted to provide an offensive spark. He took seven shots from beyond the three-point line but only made one of them. Despite playing 19 minutes, the 7-foot-1 center was only able to grab a single rebound.

Evan Turner added 11 points. The highly paid free agent small forward has drawn a lot of criticism as of late because Portland Trail Blazers fans are expecting much more out of him. Some are even saying that he made a mistake by leaving the Boston Celtics, where he was a key role player for an NBA Playoffs team.

Alan Crabbed also received a huge contract in free agency this summer. Shooting one out of seven is not going to silence the critics.

[Featured Image by Al Bello/Getty Images]