The Knicks will face a weakened opponent as they continue their four-game road trip in Portland on Sunday night.
The Trail Blazers still have All-Star point guard Damian Lillard and former Knick forward Carmelo Anthony, but in the next few weeks they will be left without guard CJ McCollum and big man Jusuf Nurkic.
McCollum has averaged 26.7 points per game this season and Nurkic has averaged 14.8 points and 9.6 rebounds per game over five seasons in Portland.
“I mean, CJ is out, so he’s a blessing to us,” Julius Randle said after Friday’s loss in Sacramento that ended the Knicks’ three-game streak. “But Dame is dangerous. Of course we know what Melo can do, but Dame is the head of the snake over there. She is dangerous. So we will prepare for this. “