Coming off their biggest win of the 2023-24 season against the Boston Celtics, the Los Angeles Lakers traveled to the Big Apple to take on the New York Knicks in another primetime matchup.
The Knicks have been one of the hottest teams in the league since trading for OG Anunoby, but were shorthanded against the Lakers as they were without Julius Randel, Quentin Grimes and Anunoby. However, New York has been propelled by Jalen Brunson, who was finally rewarded with his first All-Star nod.
Fortunately for Los Angeles, LeBron James and Anthony Davis returned to the lineup to help the team pick up a hard-earned win against New York.
James has always loved playing in Madison Square Garden and he has a knack for putting on a show in one of the most popular cities in the world. Against the Knicks, James was his usual self offensively as he forced the issue in the paint with physical drives.
However, it was his jumper that really uplifted Los Angeles as he was able to hit several tough shots in the second half to keep the team in it. James led the team in scoring with 24 points to go along with five rebounds, five assists, two steals and one block.
Davis missed the past two games with hip spasms and his return to the court featured some rust as he clearly struggled shooting the basketball. Davis only scored 12 points on a poor 4-of-12 shooting, but he did his most important work on the defensive end.
Not only did Davis lead all players with 18 rebounds, he was a menace defensively. The All-Star big man had the sequence of the game where he blocked the Knicks twice on the same possession that led to a Laker basket on the other end.
Austin Reaves was having a tough shooting night in the first half as he found it difficult to find space against a swarming New York defense, but he found his groove in the fourth quarter.
Reaves scored most of his 22 points in the fourth, hitting a big three late in the game that gave the Lakers all the momentum and enough cushion to secure the victory.
What’s next for Lakers
The Lakers’ six-game road trip finally comes to an end on Monday when they take on the Charlotte Hornets. Los Angeles will then return home and have a couple of days of rest before the Denver Nuggets come to town next Thursday.
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