PORTLAND — The Knicks were just beginning to regain control of a game that seemed in danger of falling apart when Josh Hart burst upon Jrue Holiday, swiped the ball and raced the other way for a fast break with less than three minutes remaining.
It wasn’t the deciding basket and he wasn’t the savior, but it was just one more example of what the Knicks were missing without him: energy, effort, defense and the knack for a timely big play.
With Hart back, inserted immediately in the starting lineup and contributing 18 points, six assists and a little bit of everything else, the Knicks beat the Portland Trail Blazers, 123-114, at the Moda Center to get back on track. The Knicks improved to 12-3 with Hart as a starter this season.
It was Jalen Brunson who led the Knicks with 26 points and eight assists. OG Anunoby (22 points), Karl-Anthony Towns (20) and Mikal Bridges (18) helped a balanced attack. So maybe there was something to having the connector back in the lineup.
Hart missed eight games since that Christmas Day right ankle sprain and said that he immediately feared it might have been much worse.
“I haven’t had too many significant sprains on my right,” Hart said. “Normally it’s the left. So it kind of good I got this out the way early. Now it should be good. At first, the way it felt, the way it popped, it’s definitely better than I thought. I thought it would be dislocated, the way it sounded and felt.”
While he was sidelined the Knicks lost five of eight games, including a four-game losing streak, and that might have pushed him to get back on the floor sooner than he would have if the team wasn’t mired in struggles. But he said he didn’t feel the need to be a savior.
“Nah, not at all,” Hart said. “I think there was certain situations where, like the San Antonio game for example, where they’re blitzing [Brunson], being able to help, being in that pocket and playmaking and kind of helping guys. Being in those kind of positions, you’re like . . . ‘if I was out there I could help in this way, help in that way. ‘
“You always feel that way. I don’t think there’s pressure when I’m coming back. Probably be more pressure if we were on a five-game streak. I can’t come in and mess things up. If we were on a five-game win streak I probably wouldn’t be playing.”
Hart came out on the court for the start of the game, went to the baseline and hugged Blazers executives, having played here before being traded to the Knicks. He then connected on his first two three-point attempts as Portland dared him to shoot, matching up 7-2 center Donovan Clingan on him. He had eight points in the first four minutes and the Knicks were off and running.
“He’s a connector. He’s a glue guy,” Mike Brown said. “There’s a lot of things that we can do with him on the floor, on both ends of the floor, that he brings to the team. You factor in … could it be opponents? Could it be the time of the year? I’m not sure. But he definitely is an important piece to what we’re trying to do.”
While the Knicks have struggled, losing five of six entering this game, Portland had turned its season around with five straight wins and seven in their last eight. They also got Jrue Holiday back for the first time after missing 23 straight games.
The Knicks led most of the game, but with 9:24 remaining in the fourth quarter Deni Avdija scored in the lane, drawing a foul on Hart, the three-point play putting Portland in front at 95-92. It was their first lead since midway through the second quarter.
The Knicks regained the lead with 4:15 to play on a three by Anunoby and Anunoby then swiped a pass and fed Deuce McBride, who drained a three for a five-point advantage. A block by Mitchell Robinson and another three by Anunoby gave the Knicks an eight-point lead before Hart’s steal and layup gave them a double-figure advantage.
Notes & quotes: Guerschon Yabusele sat out his second straight game with a right quad contusion . . . with Hart back, Brown trimmed his rotation to only eight players other than a three-minute first half appearance by Mo Diawara. That meant a DNP for Tyler Kolek and Kevin McCullar, both of whom had been major rotation pieces of late.
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
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