Lakers News: Despite Another Big D'Angelo Russell Game, LA Collapses Against Knicks
Last night, your Los Angeles Lakers weathered some spotty scoring from four of their five starters, thanks in large part to D'Angelo Russell and three key bench players, but ultimately the team could not overcome its own offensive limitations against the visiting New York Knicks, ultimately falling 112-108 late.
During the opening quarter, Knicks All-Star power forward Julius Randle was pretty much unstoppable. Playing all 12 minutes of the period, he chipped in 18 of New York's 31 points in the first frame. The ex-Laker did most of his damaged in the paint (he shot 5-of-8 from the floor overall) and at the free throw line (a perfect 7-of-7).
On the Lakers side of the equation, D'Angelo Russell continued his heater following a terrific Friday night performance against the Toronto Raptors. Russell helped team get up to a seven-point lead at one point in the frame. He finished the period with 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field (3-of-4 from deep). The Knicks, however, closed out strong, finishing the quarter up 31-27.
Reserve New York power forward Obi Toppin was finally subbed in for Randle at the top of the second frame.
Both teams traded buckets throughout that second quarter, with LA marginally outscoring New York 32-31. The Knicks thus led by a possession at the break, 62-59.
Though Anthony Davis would later bemoan a modest offensive night by his lofty standards, he still managed some impressive scoring moments around the rim, especially this spin move where he absolutely bodied Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein:
Let's look at that from another angle:
Nice.
Russell again led the way for LA in the third quarter, scoring eight points on 3-of-4 shooting from the floor (2-of-3 from three-point land).
Los Angeles won the period, 27-23, and thus carried an 86-85 lead into the game's final frame.
The Knicks gradually built up their lead to double digits in the fourth quarter. RJ Barrett was the star of the quarter, scoring 13 of his 30 points in that period alone (on 6-of-12 shooting).
With New York leading 106-96 at the 5:01 mark, it felt like LA was letting go of the rope.
And that's when Darvin Ham subbed in Austin Reaves, who instantly got to the line and made two foul shots. LA mounted a team effort, but New York managed to keep the Lakers at bay for a bit, returning their advantage to 10 points, 110-100, with 2:34 left in regulation. LA responded by going on an 8-0 run with a multifaceted offensive attack. That rally included this wild Austin Reaves alley-oop to Davis for the flush:
Dennis Schroder managed to cut the Knicks' lead to two points with 19.3 seconds remaining thanks to this fast break layup:
After this, the Knicks managed to play keep-away for a bit from Los Angeles. Anthony Davis fouled ex-Laker Josh Hart with five seconds remaining, Hart made both his free throws to put the Knicks up by four points (i.e. more than one possession), effectively icing the game. D'Angelo Russell showed no fear in heaving a 25-foot long three-point attempt with 4.1 seconds left. He missed, and New York nabbed the road win.
The Lakers' bench once again enjoyed a robust scoring night, notching 43 points (far outpacing the Knicks' 25). New York bested the Lakers significantly in points scored off turnovers (17-9) and rebounds (46-37).
Six LA players scored in double figures, though only three starters managed to get there. Russell led the way with 33 points on 13-of-19 shooting from the field (6-of-11 from deep), focusing on jump shooting over interior scoring (he got to the line just once). He also had eight dimes, five rebounds and a block. Davis had a 17-point, 16-rebound double-double.
The defeat drops the Lakers to a 33-35 record and a three-way tie in ninth place in the West, although LA maintains the conference's No. 9 seed thanks to having the best inter-conference record.
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