The Knicks lost their tenth straight game after getting blown out by the Trailblazers 115-87 Tuesday night.

Damian Lillard had his way with the Knicks scoring 31 points, including eight three-pointers and six assists. The paint was dominated by Hassan Whiteside who scored 17 points and 15 rebounds with five blocks in 26 minutes. Former Knicks all-star Carmelo Anthony shot 50% from the field posting 16 points and two steals. “We were locked in, since this morning, since shootaround, we were locked in. Dame came out and led us, Hassan played great, but I thought overall defense was what got us going. We were talking, we were active, a lot of energy on the defensive end,” Anthony told Yahoo Sports.

“Anytime you have that type of win, and the way that we did it, I think we should feel good about it. Especially in a game that we feel we should have won,” Lillard said.

The Blazers needed to get back on track after losing two in a row sitting in the 11th spot in the Western Conference.  A team with this much talent should not be ten games under .500, especially after reaching the Western Conference Finals last season.

“It was a team we felt we should (defeat) on our home floor, but I thought our approach and how we came out, not looking like it was going to be an easy game or nothing like that — we respected our opponent. We did the right things defensively, we executed our scouting report and offensively we executed as well as we have in a while, maybe all season,” Lillard told Yahoo Sports.

On the receiving end of this beatdown were the last place Knicks with a record of 4-20. Firing former coach David Fizdale last Friday, the team’s identity has continued to crumble after losing ten straight games. In Tuesday’s game, the Knicks were down 19 at the half and didn’t stand a chance after going 7-38 from three.

The front office struck out on landing a big free agent in the summer, and tried to recover by signing three power forwards and some role players. Julius Randle is a good player and Marcus Morris has played very well offensiviely, but the point guard position has been inconsistent. Dennis Smith Jr. is averaging an unacceptable 5.4 points per game shooting 31% from the field, and the team needs to move on from Frank Ntilikina who’s numbers are just as bad.

On paper the team has more talent than last year’s 17 win team, but the chemistry hasn’t improved and there’s no indication that the Knicks will sort out their problems with interim Head Coach Mike Miller. There’s too many players that play the same position and second year guys like Allonzo Trier and Kevin Knox need consistent minutes to develop. New York is also ranked dead last in defense rating, according to NBA Team Stats.

They continue their four-game road trip in Golden State Wednesday.

The NBA free agency madness continues. The Miami Heat, picking up Jimmy Butler, has traded their star center Hassan Whiteside to the Portland Trail Blazers. The Heat will receive Moe Harkless and Meyers Leonard for Whiteside, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

The Trail Blazers made a run to the Western Conference semifinals last season behind Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, but got swept 4-0 to the Golden State Warriors. The Trail Blazers seem to be serious contenders now with the acquisition of Whiteside. He is an elite rim protector and provides improved post work from Enes Kanter, who was just traded to the Boston Celtics. Josef Nurkic is the current starting center for the Trail Blazers, but suffered a nasty leg injury that saw him out for the remainder of the season. It’s unknown what their plans are with Nurkic after picking up Whiteside. Perhaps Nurkic will come off the bench as Whiteside will be an unrestricted free-agent after next season.

Whiteside averaged 14 points a game in the 2017-18 season, along with almost 12 rebounds and 1.7 blocks a game. He was hurt over half the season last year, missing 54 games. He is on his last year of his four-year, $98 million deal he had with the Heat, which will transfer over to the Trail Blazers cap. Lillard signed a super-max deal on Sunday, worth $196 million for four years.

“Each year we’ve come back with the right attitude,” Lillard said at the end of last season, according to NBA.com. “We’ve been able to stick together through a lot of adversity and I think just what we’ve hung our hats on, what we’ve believed in, our culture, the togetherness, we’ve been able to truly build on that. And I think we should be encouraged.”

From the Heat’s perspective, its a load-off from Whiteside’s expensive contract. He missed almost two-thirds of the season last year, and picked up Harkless and Leonard for him. Bam Adebayo took his starting spot at the end of the season after consistently performing, and may prove to be a suitable replacement in due time. With Butler leading the Heat now, head coach Erik Spoelstra has a new identity for his team.

Hassan Whiteside put up impressive numbers on both ends of the court on Wednesday to help lead the Miami Heat to a 117-109 road victory over the Houston Rockets.

Hassan Whiteside Leads Heat To 117-109 Win vs Rockets

The 27-year-old center posted his 36th double-double and finished with 23 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks.

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra praised his 7-foot youngster’s performance.

”When he plays with that level of physicality and effort and focus, it’s plain to see that we are a much different basketball team,” Spoelstra said. ”He played at his highest level, imposing his size and physicality on both sides of the court.”

Dion Waiters added 23 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, and Goran Dragic contributed 21 points for Miami, who snapped a two-game skid that followed a 13-game winning streak.

”Guys are coming together,” Whiteside said. ”Guys are a family and our hearts are in the right place. We’ve been jelling.”

Dating back to last season, Whiteside has recorded at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks in a game eight times.

James Harden recorded 38 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists for his 15th triple-double of the season–one more than the previous career franchise mark– for the Rockets, who lost for the second time in seven games. For the first time all season, Houston played in a game where they never held the lead.

The Heat finished 13 for 35 on 3-pointers, while the Rockets were 13 for 40.

Houston’s defense struggled without guard Patrick Beverley, who suffered a strained groin early in the second quarter. His replacement, Corey Brewer, played 27 minutes and scored just four points.

Miami led 58-45 at halftime and built a lead as big as 20 points in the third quarter before Houston began making shots and cut the deficit late.

Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni bemoaned his team’s failure to score more 3-pointers than their opponents.

”We just didn’t shoot the 3s at all in the first half and dug ourselves in a big hole,” D’Antoni said. ”Then everything has to go right and you know, things don’t go right, then the game’s over. We’re going to have clunkers and that was a clunker.”

Miami (25-32) are now two games behind Detroit for the final playoffs spot in the Eastern Conference.

Houston (40-18), meanwhile, holds the third spot in the West behind Golden State and San Antonio.

”We let a couple of games slip up, but we’ve got an opportunity for guys to get some rest and get their minds right and be ready to go for this push,” Harden said.

Harden was honored during a brief pre-game ceremony for being a starter for the Western Conference in this weekend’s All-Star Game in New Orleans.

Heat guard Josh Richardson remained sidelined with a sprained left foot but is expected to return for the first game following the All-Star break.

The Heat next visit Atlanta on Feb. 24 in their first game after the break.

The Rockets next visit New Orleans on Feb. 23.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrMKmc8h0Gc

HOUSTON, TX – JANUARY 03: Dwight Howard #12 of the Houston Rockets battles for a loose basketball with Hassan Whiteside #21 of the Miami Heat during their game at the Toyota Center on January 3, 2015 in Houston, Texas.