PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek said it may be time to get Damian Lillard into the Most Valuable Player conversation.
''The guy is playing fantastic. He might be one of those guys you've got to start talking about that MVP too with the way he's playing,'' New York's coach said after Lillard scored 37 points in a 111-87 victory over the Knicks on Tuesday night.
Lillard made eight 3-pointers, one off his career high, in the Blazers' eighth straight win.
CJ McCollum added 19 points for the Blazers, on their longest winning streak since winning nine in a row in 2014. They have moved into third place in the Western Conference standings.
Even the fans have lofty expectations for Lillard, chanting ''MVP! MVP!'' at times when he got to the line.
Lillard added that he believes this has been his best season. He's averaging 26.8 points, but he's been particularly effective over the streak.
The Blazers hit a season-high 20 3-pointers in 33 attempts (60 percent).
Enes Kanter had 18 points and 11 rebounds for the Knicks, who lost their fifth straight. It was Kanter's 32nd double-double this season, a career high. Tim Hardaway Jr. finished with 19 points.
New York has won just one of its last 14 games. The Knicks trailed by as many as 22 points.
The game in Portland was the third of a four-game road trip for the Knicks and comes off a 102-99 loss to the Kings on Sunday. Sacramento's Skal Labissiere had a 3-pointer with 1.6 seconds left to win it.
The Knicks lost top scorer Kristaps Porzingis last month to a season-ending ACL tear injury that required surgery, and they've since gone 1-8.
Against the Blazers, the Knicks were without Courtney Lee because of personal reasons. Rookie Frank Ntilikina got his first NBA start in his place. Lance Thomas also got the start for New York, with Michael Beasley coming off the bench.
Portland remained without forward Maurice Harkless for the third straight game because of a knee injury. Evan Turner started in his place.
Lillard had 16 points in the first quarter alone and the Blazers led 34-28 after the period. Pat Connaughton hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer for Portland.
Lillard went to the bench to start the second quarter and was briefly looked at by trainers. Portland led by as many as 15 points in the quarter but the Knicks closed the gap to 57-52 at halftime.
Portland stretched the lead to as many as 27 points in the second half.
The Blazers were coming off a 108-103 victory the night before against the Lakers in Los Angeles. Lillard scored 19 of his 39 points in the final quarter in the come-from-behind victory.
******Damian Lillard #0 of the Portland Trail Blazers handles the ball against the New York Knicks on March 6, 2018 at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon.