A back-to-back set of games in New York City for the Los Angeles Lakers started with a loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Monday as LeBron James and Anthony Davis were held out.
On Tuesday, they headed across the East River into midtown Manhattan to take on the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, and both teams treated the crowd to a decent show.
After a somewhat desultory first half, Los Angeles started to turn it on in the third quarter by scoring 34 points. But after taking a seven-point lead midway through the fourth period, it allowed the hometown team to fight back and force overtime.
Rebounding was a problem, as Los Angeles gave up 13 offensive rebounds and 15 second-chance points. It also allowed Jalen Brunson, the Knicks’ newest star, to explode for 37 points.
In overtime, the Lakers took control, outscoring New York, 15-9, to take a 129-123 victory. They badly needed this win, as they have been starting to slip out of the Western Conference playoff picture.
Anthony Davis: A
In Davis’ first game in the starting lineup since his right foot stress injury in mid-December, he looked a lot like the Davis of old. He scored 27 points on 9-of-16 shooting from the field and 9-of-11 from the free-throw line, while also grabbing nine rebounds and adding two steals and one assist.
With Davis back, the Lakers’ interior defense looks transformed. He didn’t block a single shot, but his mere presence deters opposing players from attempting shots at or near the rim. That allows L.A. to guard the perimeter more effectively since it doesn’t need to collapse as much in the paint.
Rui Hachimura: A-minus
Hachimura drew his first start since being traded to the Lakers last week, and he played very well. He shot 8-of-12 from the field, including 2-of-4 from 3-point range, to score 19 points, to go along with nine rebounds.
The Japan native has been doing a good job of running the floor in transition, and that effort gained him three fast-break buckets against the Knicks, two on dunks.
Defense is a concern for Hachimura. He doesn’t appear to be a poor defender, but he had trouble defending without fouling tonight, which led to him committing four fouls.
However, he had a key blocked shot on Brunson in overtime that was initially called goaltending but was overturned and ruled a legal block.
LeBron James: A-minus
It wasn’t the most efficient of nights for James, who went 11-of-25 overall, 2-of-8 from downtown and 4-of-7 from the free throw line. But he finished with a triple-double by scoring 28 points, grabbing 10 rebounds and dealing 11 assists.
James is 88 points away from tying Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most career points in NBA history.
Troy Brown Jr.: B-minus
After an outstanding outing versus Brooklyn, Brown went 3-of-8 against the Knicks, scoring nine points to go along with five rebounds and three assists in 34 minutes.
Dennis Schroder: B
Schroder has been inconsistent lately, especially offensively, but he was solid on Tuesday with 12 points and six assists in 32 minutes.
He hit one of the biggest shots of the game when he connected on a 3-pointer with 3:14 left in overtime to put L.A. up for good.
Thomas Bryant: B-minus
Bryant’s minutes have gone down since the return of Davis, but he still scored nine points in 16 minutes while going perfect from the field and the charity stripe.
However, he had only one rebound, an area in which he often excels.
Russell Westbrook: A
Westbrook had a pretty efficient night, shooting 7-of-13 from the floor, although he was just 2-of-5 on free throws. Still, he finished with 17 points, eight assists, six rebounds and three steals while committing only one turnover.
He keyed the Lakers’ overtime run by notching three assists and hitting a dagger jumper with 1:17 left.
Lonnie Walker IV: F
In his third game back from injury, Walker didn’t get it done. He was 1-of-6 and missed all four of his 3-point attempts, giving him two points and one rebound in 13 minutes.
Max Christie: B-plus
Christie immediately made an impact by playing tenacious defense and hitting 2-of-3 from downtown. He ended with six points and two rebounds in 13 minutes, although he committed five fouls.
