On the night the Lakers unveiled their banner for winning the In-Season Tournament, they were never able get into a collective rhythm offensively and could not come up with the key defensive stops they needed in a 114-109 loss to the Knicks on Monday night.
The loss is the Lakers third in four games since winning the IST title vs. the Pacers and drops them to 15-12 on the season.
Even though the trio of Anthony Davis, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves all scored well with 32, 25, and 20 points respectively, as a team the Lakers connected on just 42.4% of their field goal attempts overall — including 50% (26-52) in the paint. And while team did hit more three pointers than their counterparts (13 to 10), the Lakers struggled mightily from the corners, hitting just two of their nine attempts with several of those misses coming on the types of momentum shots that had a chance to turn the game in the Lakers favor if they could have fallen.
On the other end, the Knicks played to their strengths, deliberately attacking the paint offensively and doing a good job of cleaning up the glass on both ends of the floor. Julius Randle was essential on both fronts, doing well to get into the paint where he connected on looks both clean and contested, hitting 12 of his 22 shots overall (11 of which came in the paint) to score 27 points while also pulling down 14 rebounds.
Joining Randle with a paint-centric attack was Jalen Brunson who, despite hitting three of his six attempts from deep, did most of his damage in the paint with the rest of his seven made baskets coming in and around the restricted area. Brunson led the Knicks with 29 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter where he used his quickness and shiftiness with the ball to break free and get into the key where he hit floaters and runners before the defense could get there in time to alter the shot.
Despite the Knicks controlling the paint offensively and winning the battle on the backboards, the Lakers did well to keep the game within striking distance most of the night, and even taking the lead in the third quarter. After Anthony Davis spurred on a late run to the close the first half that sent them into the intermission with a one-point lead, LeBron came out in the 3rd quarter with a sharpness and emphasis on attacking that allowed the Lakers to start to take control of the game.
Davis was brilliant overall, again flashing a comfort with his jump shot and proving a three-level scorer. The Knicks had few answers for his craft in creating his own shot, whether off the dribble or out of the post. Add in his effectiveness as a finishing via the Lakers pick-and-roll attack and Davis was the lone Laker to play extensive minutes to shoot over 50% connecting on 14 of his 22 shot attempts while also doing his best on the backboards, snaring 14 overall.
Despite Davis doing his best to put the Lakers over the top, the Knicks proved too resilient. A quick burst by a bench unit led Emmanuel Quickley stole back the momentum AD and LeBron seized after halftime to close the 3rd quarter, extending the Knicks’ lead back up to 10 points to start the 4th quarter. And while the Lakers made several more pushes in an attempt to steal the game, the Knicks had an answer for the home team every time to find them off and ultimately finish the game on top.
With that, the Lakers head back out on the road for a three-game trip, beginning in Chicago to take on the Bulls on Wednesday night. So, if the Lakers are going to get right, it will need to be on the road before returning home for Christmas.
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