Portland, OR (My Sportsbook) - The suddenly streaking New York Knicks will shoot for their third consecutive victory this evening when they tangle with the Portland Trail Blazers at the Rose Garden.

New York has come up with back-to-back impressive wins to begin its current six-game road trip. The Knicks got the best of Phoenix, 116-115, on Friday and followed it with a 117-110 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday evening.

Allan Houston exploded for 53 points to lead the Knicks to the huge win at the Staples Center. Houston was on fire, drilling 18-of-29 from the field in the winning effort. He hit 13-of-15 from the charity stripe and 4-of-5 from three-point range as well.

It was the most points by a Knicks player since Bernard King scored 55 against New Jersey on Feb. 16, 1985. The total tied for the fourth-highest in franchise history.

"To get a win and have something like that happen individually, it feels great," Houston said. "It felt good just to get going and then it didn't stop. It was like being out on the playground again, you're just out there having fun and playing the game."

Houston actually outdueled the red hot Kobe Bryant, who poured in 40 points in the loss. Bryant has registered 40 or more points in five straight games and at least 35 in nine in a row.

"He had a wonderful game tonight," Bryant said of Houston, a 10-year NBA veteran. "He was right on target all night long. He's a great shooter. Once a guy gets hot like that, once they catch fire, it's tough to put out."

Latrell Sprewell chipped in 14 points and Othella Harrington tacked on 10 of his own. New York hit 53.8 percent from the field and nearly 83 percent from the charity stripe.

Portland enters the game feeling good about itself with five wins in its last seven games. The Trail Blazers continued their solid play on Saturday with a 101-96 win over the Seattle SuperSonics.

Rasheed Wallace paced the Blazers with 27 points and Derek Anderson added 20. Dale Davis registered 17 points and 14 rebounds, while Bonzi Wells chipped in 12 points in the victory.

"We simply needed a win," Blazers coach Maurice Cheeks said. "We needed a win to get our rhythm back."

Portland guard Damon Stoudamire didn't play for the third consecutive game, the 19th time he has been benched for an entire game. He has never gone more than three games in a row without playing. Stoudamire has missed more games this season than in his previous three full years in Portland combined.

The Blazers shot 44.6 percent from the field and outrebounded the Sonics, 39-30, in the winning effort. Portland did turn the ball over 16 times in the win, though.

"The simple fact is we needed a win badly," Davis said. "There were good times and there were bad times throughout the game. We just have to cut out our unforced errors and play a little smarter."

Portland has grabbed control of this series with wins in three of the last four meetings. The Blazers registered a win in their only meeting this season, 92-89, in New York on January 5. New York has lost two straight at Portland.

The Knicks are only 8-14 on the road this season, while Portland owns a solid 15-8 mark at the Rose Garden on the year.