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.
Anthony Davis: B-plus
Davis was a backboard eater early in this game. He had 10 rebounds in the first quarter alone, and although he scored just two points on 1-of-5 shooting in that period, his presence was immensely felt.
The big man finished with just a dozen points, but his defense and rebounding were a huge key to the victory. Davis had 18 rebounds and four blocked shots, and it seemed like he had more than four rejections, as he deterred New York’s players from attempting layups and chippies.
He even pitched in five assists while adding one steal in 36 minutes, and he scored the team’s last four points on free throws to ice the victory. It was an example of how he makes a major impact and helps his team win even when he isn’t playing well offensively.
Rui Hachimura: B-minus
Hachimura was in the starting lineup in place of Taurean Prince, but he got only 19 minutes of playing time, which was significantly less than what Prince got. Still, he made a contribution with seven points on 3-of-5 shooting, four rebounds and one assist.
D'Angelo Russell: C-plus
Russell shot poorly in the first half, but he still managed to lead L.A. in scoring with 14 points at intermission. He was very quiet in the second half and didn’t even get onto the court in the fourth quarter, but he did hit some timely shots to keep his team competitive when he was in the game.
He finished with 16 points on 5-of-14 shooting, four assists and a blocked shot. He didn’t turn the ball over at all, which is one of his strengths, even when he’s not shooting well. Overall, the Lakers did an outstanding job of protecting the ball by committing only five turnovers.
Austin Reaves: A
Reaves took only four shots in the first half and made just one of them, but he paced the Lakers with four assists in the first two quarters. In the fourth quarter, he played the role of offensive closer by scoring 14 points in the period.
He finished with 22 points on 6-of-13 shooting from the field and 3-of-6 from 3-point range. The guard also dished off a team-high seven assists, and he added six rebounds and even two blocked shots.
This version of Reaves is the one the Lakers consistently had last season, especially through the stretch run of the regular season and into the postseason. It’s the version they will need to replicate last year’s late-season success this year.
LeBron James: B
James looked to defer to his teammates while picking and choosing when to be aggressive in the first half. He turned things up a notch in the second half, and it was just enough to keep the Knicks at bay.
Down the stretch, he even played some excellent defense on a couple of key possessions. James has been criticized in recent years for having a major drop-off in that department, but he gave L.A. just enough defense on Saturday to come up with a win.
He finished the contest with 24 points on 10-of-19 shooting, five rebounds, five assists, two steals and one block.
Taurean Prince: A
Although he came off the bench, Prince still played 33 minutes and provided the Lakers with some hot shooting. He scored 16 points on 6-of-10 overall shooting and 3-of-6 from downtown.
With 7:06 remaining in the game, he scored a layup, got fouled and converted the ensuing free throw to put L.A. up 97-96. It was a lead it wouldn’t give up the rest of the time, especially since Prince hit a 3-pointer about a minute later to buttress that lead to four.
Jaxson Hayes: B-plus
For the second straight game, Hayes made a noticeable contribution. He scored 10 points on just three shot attempts in only 13 minutes, and he even contributed three assists.
The Lakers could’ve used more rebounding from Hayes though. He got just one rebound on Saturday, and overall, they were outrebounded 51-38 while giving up 17 second-chance points.
Rebounding will continue to be a big key for Hayes, especially when it comes to how much playing time he will earn from game to game.
Max Christie: B
Christie provided the Lakers with 26 high-quality minutes, although his stats may not fully reflect his impact. He took only two shots but made both of them, both of which were 3-pointers, and his biggest impact was on the other end.
He blocked two shots, and he played with plenty of effort and energy as L.A. locked down the Knicks down the stretch. Even better, he was on the court for the entire fourth quarter, which seems to reflect the trust and respect head coach Darvin Ham is gaining for him.
Christian Wood: F
In seven minutes, Wood missed both of his shot attempts and didn’t make any measurable contributions.
