This has truly been an enigmatic season for the Los Angeles Lakers. They have come out lackadaisical and with what seemed to be a casual attitude a number of times against lesser teams, which has led to many losses against such squads.
On the other hand, they have consistently shown up against teams with a better record than them and manufactured quite a few wins against such opposition.
Versus the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, the Lakers looked to be overmatched, especially given the fact that the Knicks came in with a nine-game winning streak and were the NBA’s hottest team. But surprisingly, the first half was very competitive. Neither team shot well, but they were able to compete by making timely shots, while New York stayed in the game with its rebounding, particularly its offensive rebounding.
After the game was tied at 59 at intermission, New York surged ahead to an eight-point lead late in the third quarter, but the Purple and Gold regained the lead early in the fourth quarter thanks to nine unanswered points to start the period. Their defense was suffocating down the stretch, partly because they often trapped Knicks All-Star Jalen Brunson when he had the ball on the perimeter while making multiple efforts to contest shots at or near the rim.
While Brunson scored 11 of his 36 points in the fourth quarter, seven of those points came off concession baskets in the final seconds with the outcome already decided.
By outscoring the home team 33-19 in the final frame, L.A. achieved an inspiring 113-105 victory. The Knicks’ winning streak is now history, and their fans, who are perhaps the best in all of pro basketball, left the Garden deflated.
The Lakers are now 26-25 on the season and are in ninth place in the Western Conference, and they’re just 4.5 games behind the fifth-place Sacramento Kings. They’re also 3-2 on their current six-game road trip, which wraps up on Monday against the 10-37 Charlotte Hornets.