Kristaps Porzingis, Enes Kanter sit out; Knicks lose 2nd straight

New York Knicks big men Kristaps Porzingis and Enes Kantermissed Saturday's game against the Houston Rocketsbecause of back ailments.

The Knicks said Porzingis, the club's leading scorer, sat out because of lower back tightness. Kanter missed his second consecutive game because of back spasms that originally flared up Friday morning.

The Knicks squandered an early double-digit lead for the second straight night, jumping ahead by 22 in the first quarter before falling to the Rockets 117-102. On Friday night, they led by 17 in the first before losing to the Atlanta Hawks.

Michael Beasleystarted for Porzingis and led the Knicks with 30 points against the Rockets.Kyle O'Quinn, who got the start in place of Kanter, scored 20 points with 15 rebounds.

Porzingis entered Saturday ranked fourth in the NBA in scoring (27.3 PPG) and leading the NBA in blocks (2.3 BPG). Kanter ranked fifth among the league's centers in offensive rebounding and is averaging 13.6 points per game as New York's starting center.

If Joakim Noah were healthy, he would probably have been active for the first time this season, but Noah is away from the team with an illness.

The Knicks' next game is at home Monday against the Portland Trail Blazers. The status of Porzingis and Kanter for that game is unclear.

ESPN's Ian Begley contributed to this report.