The wings again showed why the Knicks have kept afloat without Jalen Brunson.
OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges carried a second-half comeback Sunday evening for the Knicks, who toppled the Blazers, 110-93, after trailing by double-digits in the third quarter.
Bridges dropped 21 of his 28 points in the second half, finishing 12-for-22 from the field.
Anunoby followed his 31-point effort Friday with 28 on Sunday. He’s scored at least 23 in the last six games.
Their offense made up for an off night from Karl-Anthony Towns, who shot just 4 for 13 with 10 points.
Anunoby and Bridges were also making up for the continued absence of Jalen Brunson, who missed his 12th straight with a sprained ankle but revealed Sunday he’s resumed “basketball activities” with a goal of returning before the playoffs.
The Knicks (47-27), who clinched a playoff spot and moved closer to locking up the third seed, improved to 7-5 without Brunson.
Josh Hart flirted with a triple-double again with 14 points, nine assists and eight rebounds.
The Knicks turned the tide in the third quarter, launching a 22-7 run to take a 1-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.
The end of the first half was a struggle for the Knicks.
After leading by 10 with about five minutes remaining in the second quarter, they allowed Portland to go on a 20-3 run and went into the break with an eight-point deficit.
That hit 14 in the third quarter.
Before that, the Knicks were rolling.
Their highlight sequence was an early second-quarter rejection from Towns, which Achiuwa flicked up in the air over the defender to lead a self-breakaway for a finger roll and seven-point advantage.
The Knicks were again running makeshift at point guard. Jalen Brunson, Miles McBride and Cam Payne were all out with injuries.
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Delon Wright (7 points, 35 minutes) made his second straight start, as a result, with Tyler Kolek (0 points, 14 minutes) as the back up.
The Knicks last played the Blazers just a couple weeks prior in Portland, where Bridges hit the biggest shot of his New York career – a buzzer-beating game-winning trey in overtime.
That contest was also played without Brunson, who spoke to the media Sunday for the first time since spraining his ankle and revealed he’s been cleared for “basketball activities.”
The Blazers (32-43) are still in the race for a play-in spot but, for all intents and purposes, are looking again at the draft lottery.
Anunoby and Bridges sent them further down that road Sunday.
