Lakers vs. Knicks Final Score: 113-109 overtime loss snaps Lakers winning streak
The Lakers forced free basketball but couldn’t walk away with the W.
The Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks went back-and-forth all night in Madison Square Garden, but the purple and gold would eventually lose 113-109 in overtime. There were 20 lead changes in all, but the Knicks would come out on top with the final change.
Kristaps Porzingis was absolutely dominant, notching 37 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks in 35 minutes of play. He also drained five of his eight three-point attempts, showing off all of his unicorn glory.
Speaking of threes, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope put up 14 threes on the night, which is an interesting strategy to say the least. The Lakers were 13-of-35 from downtown on the night, but missed all four of their attempts in overtime.
Brandon Ingram had one of his worst nights as a pro, making just two of his 12 field goal attempts for five points. He missed his first 10 in a row, with much credit to the Knicks’ defense for doing a good job of protecting the rim whenever he got into the paint.
Lonzo Ball opened the second half on fire, scoring 10 points in the third quarter. His first big bite out of the “Big Apple” was only slowed down after he bumped knees with Caldwell-Pope, leaving Ball limping about the court until he subbed out. He would return in the fourth, but didn’t look 100 percent the rest of the night.
It was a very winnable game for the Lakers, who let Kyle Kuzma’s overtime-forcing three go to waste. Michael Beasley deserves a mention here for the Knicks, scoring 13 points off the bench and coming up with backbreaking buckets down the stretch.
The Lakers get a day off to lick their wounds before auditioning competing against LeBron James in Cleveland.