The Los Angeles Lakers came back to Earth on Monday night after their stunning upset over the Brooklyn Nets over the weekend. It was a former Laker himself who delivered the dose of reality as Julius Randle scored 34 points, 11 rebounds, and four assists in 39 minutes for New York in a 111-96 win over L.A.
The Lakers jumped out to a strong start but two players who were key to their success on Saturday night, Andre Drummond and Ben McLemore, both were non-factors for most of the night. While McLemore’s off-night can be credited to the ol’ missed shots, Drummond’s lack of impact on the offensive end was due to New York’s decision to double-team him frequently throughout the night.
Rather than let Drummond use his size in post-up situations, the Knicks forced it out of his hands and let the rest of the team try to make scoring plays. It worked out for New York as the Lakers were held to just 96 points.