Trail Blazers hand Knicks eighth straight loss

NEW YORK — LaMarcus Aldridge continued his dominance over the Knicks, scoring 24 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in the Portland Trail Blazers 103-99 win over New York on Sunday at Madison Square Garden.

It was the ninth career double-double for the Portland forward against New York and his fifth straight this season.

“It’s always fun to play here (Madison Square Garden),” said Aldridge. “It’s history. Reggie Miller and all of those guys have had big games here. It’s always fun to come to this building and play well.”

Aldridge averaged 16.5 points and 13 rebounds in two games against New York last season.

Portland (16-4) started its season-long five-game road trip with its fifth straight win over New York. The Trail Blazers are now 6-2 on the road.

The Knicks (4-18) have lost eight straight games and are 3-8 at home.

“There is a level of attention to detail that we are still below in order to win these games,” said Knicks coach Derek Fisher. “We start the first and third quarters slow. If we can continue to think about the smallest things with concentration, it will help us a lot.”

Portland guard Damian Lillard, who sprained his finger Thursday against Indiana, added 20 points. Guard Wes Matthews contributed 17 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter.

New York received 23 points from Carmelo Anthony and 20 points from guard J.R. Smith.

Aldridge took over down the stretch for Portland. He put the Trail Blazers ahead 98-97 with 2:50 when he was fouled beyond the arc and hit all three free throws. His layup on the next possession made it 100-97 with 2:21 to go and a jumper with 1:32 left increased the Portland lead to 102-99.

“He (Aldridge) does that often,” said Portland coach Terry Stotts. “He is a stabilizing influence on the offensive end. We have a lot of ways we can score, but when things are going sideways we rely on him.”

Portland led 92-81 with 7:35 to play, but Knicks forward Amar’e Stoudemire tied it at 95 with a jumper and Anthony’s lay in made it 97-95 with 3:33 to go.

Portland took its largest lead of the third quarter, 83-73, on a layup from guard Allen Crabbe. The Knicks never led in the quarter.

The game was tied on four occasions in the second quarter, the last time at 48 before the Trail Blazers closed on a 5-2 run for a 53-50 halftime advantage. New York let a seven-point lead, 40-33, slip away with 5:56 left in the quarter. Portland outscored the Knicks 18-10 over the next 5:30 to move ahead 51-50. Lillard scored seven of those points.

“We just have to be able to get stops,” said Knicks guard Iman Shumpert, who scored 11 points. “We just have to keep trusting and believing in each other.”

Portland led by as many as nine points in the first quarter, but the Knicks cut it to five, 25-20 at the end of the quarter. Aldridge scored seven points and grabbed seven rebounds in the quarter.

NOTES: Portland F LaMarcus Aldridge is six points away Terry Porter for the second most points in team history. Cleveland F LeBron James sat courtside. The Cavaliers play in Brooklyn on Monday. … Of the Knicks’ 18 losses, 13 are by seven points or fewer. … Knicks G Shane Larkin ranked third in the league in steals per turnover (1.47) through Saturday. … Portland began play first in the NBA in rebounds per game and defensive rebounds per game. … The Knicks ranked 30th (last) in the league in disqualifications and 29th in fouls per game. … Through Saturday, Portland F LaMarcus Aldridge ranked 11th in the league in rebounding (9.8 per game).