After snapping a five-game losing streak with a win over the Detroit Pistons Tuesday, the Los Angeles Lakers were back in action Thursday to Staples Center and hoped to earn a second consecutive win, as they faced the New York Knicks.
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Former Lakers guard Derek Fisher returned to a familiar environment for his first road game against the Lakers, but this time as head coach for the Knicks. The Knicks have the worst record in the NBA, 12-51. The team is on a five-game losing streak and 0-12 against Western Conference teams. They have dropped seven on the road.
The first time that both teams met this season in February at Madison Square Garden, the Knicks notched a victory over the Lakers, 92-80. Knicks on the other hand, are playing without all-star Carmelo Anthony, who suffered a season-ending knee surgery.
Jabari Brown, former teammate of Jordan Clarkson in Missouri, who was signed in a 10-day contract from the NBA’s D-League this week, made his debut against the Knicks.
First Quarter:
After a scoreless two minutes, Langston Galloway put up a jumper and a three to give the Knicks a 5-2 lead over the Lakers. Jordan Hill put in a jumper, as Lakers led by one with 9:17 to go, 6-5. Both teams continued to shoot on both sides of the court, attempting to take the lead. Hill continued to dominate with five straight points, as Lakers led the Knicks, 13-9. Midway through the first, after a fade away jumper from Jeremy Lin, the Lakers took a six-point lead, 15-9. The Knicks missed shots on their possessions, as Lakers took advantage of it, including a dunk by Tarik Black, as the Lakers gained their largest lead so far in the game of eight, 19-11. Cleanthony Early cut the Knicks deficit to two, 19-17 with a layup. With 3:17 in the first, Brown checked into the game and sunk in one out of two free throws, for his first point as a Laker. Less than two minutes to go, Brown shot his first field goal, as the Lakers led the Knicks, 22-19. Carlos Boozer put in the last shot of the quarter, as the Lakers led by three going into the second.
Second Quarter:
The Lakers headed into the second up, 28-25, Brown put in back-to-back shots for the Lakers, 32-28. Tim Hardaway got hot from beyond the arc to tie the game at 34. Boozer followed with the three-point play, as the Lakers took back the lead, 37-34. Galloway then knocked in his third consecutive shot, back to a one-point game. Midway through the second, after Galloway knocked in another three, the Lakers trailed, 41-39. With the game tied at 43, Black threw the ball in to take a 45-43 lead. Hardaway answered right back for his fourth three of the game, back to a one-point game, 46-45. Clarkson cut the Lakers deficit to one with the jumper from the middle, 48-47. Less than two minutes left in the half, the Knicks had the lead by four, until Ellington sank in a three, to put the Lakers back down by one, 53-52. The Knicks continued to put up shots and with a layup by Lou Amundson, the Knicks had their largest lead of the game of six, 60-54, to end the half.
Third Quarter:
The Lakers started hot in the field as Clarkson hit his first three-pointer of the game and Hill knocked in a jumper to cut the Lakers deficit to three. The Lakers continued to struggle both offensively and defensively, as the Lakers trailed, 67-61, with less than seven minutes to play. Midway through the third, Lance Thomas hit a jumper, as the Lakers trailed, 69-62. With many turnovers, the Knicks gained a 12-point lead in a 8-1 run, 75-63, with less than four minutes to play. Lakers are down ten, after a reverse layup by Lin, with 1:45 on the clock. Hardaway once again knocked in a three-pointer to give the Knicks a double-digit lead. Lin had a couple of baskets and put in two free throws to cut the Lakers deficit to six, to end the third.
Fourth Quarter:
Larkin and Lin each got layups to go to begin the final period. Brown hit Boozer in transition for a layup, but free throws from Early kept the Knicks ahead by seven. Early was left wide open for another three as the Knicks went back ahead by double-digits. Both teams missed several opportunities to score as the Knicks maintained a 10-point lead midway through the fourth quarter. Free throws from the Knicks pushed their lead out to 12 as the Lakers tried to fight back. A jumper from Johnson cut the lead to 10, but the Lakers struggled to get the lead down to single digits. A layup from Hardaway made it a 14 point lead with only three minutes left. Ellington hit a three and a layup from Hill cut the Lakers deficit to eight. A Clarkson three cut the deficit to five with 53 seconds left, but Jason Smith got a layup to basically ice the game with only 32 seconds remaining. Hill hit a surprising three-pointer and Bargniani split free throws to give the Lakers a slight bit of hope. They were unable to do anything with, however and would fall to the Knicks 101-94.
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