FLOOR SHOW: Iman Shumpert dives for a loose ball during the Knicks’ 105-90 loss last night in Portland.
PORTLAND, Ore. — The Knicks were missing their entire “Trio Grande’’ Thursday night for the first time since Carmelo Anthony, Amar’e Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler were united last season.
So this was the night for ex-Trail Blazer Raymond Felton to shut up the Portland fans forever and lead the Knicks to an improbable win. But that’s only in storybooks, and this West Coast trip is a horror movie.
Yes, the Knicks competed for the first time out West and showed spitfire and moxie but the relentless, game-long boos got to Felton, who sputtered to an 11-point, 3-of-12, three-assist, two-turnover dud as the Trail Blazers pulled away for a 105-90 victory at the Rose Garden.
The Knicks (38-25) lead the Nets by just one game in the Atlantic Division after dropping to 0-3 on their road-to-ruin trip.
“The boos, oh yeah, they were loud,’’ Felton said. “It was loud. I definitely heard that. But it definitely made me smile. It made me laugh. It was the first time ever for my career. I guess I did make a big impact if they booed me like that.’’
J.R. Smith, who questioned the team’s heart after the Denver rout, picked up the scoring slack with 33 points, but he didn’t get help from the villain of the night, Felton, who was booed during pregame intros and every time he handled the rock, much like Anthony’s hostile evening in Denver the night before.
Rookie-of-the-year favorite and Portland’s Felton replacement, Damian Lillard, had a big night with 26 points and 10 assists.
The Knicks led by 13 points in the second quarter, fell behind by 16 after three quarters and rallied to within four points midway through the fourth quarter. It wasn’t a bad night’s work, considering it was the Knicks’ JV team, but they predictably ran out of gas.
“I don’t accept any losses but I thought tonight we were a little better in terms of competing,’’ coach Mike Woodson said.
Anthony’s ineffectiveness dragged the team into the gutter during its previous two West Coast losses. The Knicks have been outscored by 67 points on the trip and have the Clippers in Los Angeles Sunday.
There’s a good chance they will be without the sore-kneed Anthony and Chandler again. Chandler, who missed his season’s first game, said afterward he “felt a lot better’’ but wouldn’t commit to Sunday. Anthony will join the team in Los Angeles after getting his knee drained but indications were he’s not ready yet.
“Without Amar’e, Tyson and Melo, not to say we’re supposed to beat them — but if you can catch them on your home court, you should want to win that game,’’ Lillard said.
In place of their Big 3, Woodson started the rag-tag frontcourt of 40-year-old Kurt Thomas, 35-year-old Kenyon Martin and 28-year-old rookie Chris Copeland, a Belgian leaguer last season.
And they didn’t miss a beat, taking a 30-22 lead after one period and building a 13-point lead early in the second quarter. In the first, an active Martin made 4 of 6 shots, including two ugly-looking jump shots which are not in his arsenal. Thomas, the ex-Blazer, had a jumper, three assists and four boards in eight minutes.
Marcus Camby, after not playing for two straight games, got minutes in the second quarter and thrived going 4 of 5 for eight points, the best spurt of his disappointing season.
Felton, meanwhile, was loathed by Portland fans and media for reporting out of shape last season and seemingly not caring. The Knicks also got nothing from Steve Novak, who is 0-for-11 from 3-point land on the trip.
Felton’s night was lowlighted by getting blocked hard by LaMarcus Aldridge, who finished with 22 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks. They blame Felton for everything here, including the rain, as he became the scapegoat for last season’s train wreck.