Knicks Lose Jalen Brunson, Statement Victory vs. Lakers

The New York Knicks lost a lead, a statement, and maybe their MVP in the opener of a lengthy Western swing.

Mar 6, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) moves the ball against Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Anyone who opted for an early bedtime over New York Knicks basketball after dark may awaken to a horrifying surprise.

The Knicks' five-game West Coast road trip got off to a nightmarish start: not only did they drop a 113-109 overtime decision to the Los Angeles Lakers but Jalen Brunson limped to the locker room amidst the heartbreaking climax. Brunson had a team-best 39 points prior to his departure as the Knicks (40-22) failed to stop the scorching Lakers in a late-night thriller at Crypto.com Arena.

Mar 6, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) moves the ball against New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) during overtime at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Brunson was injured in the latter stages of overtime as he rolled his right ankle while driving against a defending Austin Reaves. The Knicks point guard and captain stayed in the game to shoot his successful free throws but limped to the New York locker room shortly after the next stoppage, struggling to put weight on the ankle in question.

Former Brunson teammate Luka Doncic led the way with 32 points for Los Angeles while LeBron James put up 31 in the eighth consecutive victory for the revamped purple-and-gold, which erased a New York lead that reached as high as 13. The triumph allowed the Lakers (40-21) to move past the Knicks for the fourth-best record in the NBA—and rendered the Knicks winless in nine tries against the Association's top quartet.

That was hardly the fault of Brunson, who had a hand in 21 of the Knicks' 27 points in the opening period through either sinks of his own or helpful passes. The Knicks trailed by four at the end of the first dozen but Brunson's buzzer-beating double set the tone for a 13-1 run, one that featured a triple each from Josh Hart, Cameron Payne, and Landry Shamet, that gave the Knicks a lasting lead.

Hollywood's new leading tandem of Doncic and James put two-thirds of the yellow points in the first half but that didn't stop the Knicks from building a nine-point lead at the break. The New York lead continued to hold steady despite further struggles from three-point range and was still at 10 with just over five minutes gone by in the fourth quarter.

For all the talk about the Lakers' stars, however, it was the bench that rose to the occasion: consecutive tallies for Dalton Knecht and Gabe Vincent kickstarted a 19-6 free throw-free run that gave Los Angeles a long-sought lead, one temporarily secured when James found Vincent for the last three of nine points in the stretch. In comparison, the Knicks' bench (which was missing Precious Achiuwa) did not score at any point in the period.

Continuing to live up to his clutch reputation, Brunson tied the game on the other end with a successful and-one after a James misfire. The Knicks earned the last possession of regulation with the score knotted at 99-all but Hart's dramatic, if not successful, drive, didn't leave his hands in time, necessitating an extra period of New York basketball for the sixth time this season (and fourth time in the last three-plus weeks).

Doncic immediately set the tone in the fifth period with five points while a struggling Reaves sank his only three of the night. In a macabre sense of irony, all but two of the 10 New York points in the period were scored by Brunson, whose final acts tied the game before his medically-induced departure. After he hobbled off the floor, free throws from James and Jaxon Hayes allowed the Lakers to escape from LA with both the win and a season sweep of their yearly couple with the Knicks.

Mar 6, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) reacts against the New York Knicks during the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

OG Anunoby put in the last points for the Knicks as part of a 20-point night while the birthday boy Hart had an 18-point, 10-rebound double-double. Back on the floor after missing Tuesday's game due to personal matters, Karl-Anthony Towns pulled in a team-best 14 rebounds but needed a 3-of-13 shooting effort to get to 12 points.

With the loss, the Knicks failed to clinch their first level of 2025 postseason eligibility, as they've secured a fate no worse than the Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament had they held on to prevail. The Knicks remain stationed in SoCal as part two of this Western swing will be staged on Friday night in Inglewood against the Los Angeles Clippers (10:30 p.m. ET, MSG).

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