Lakers flip up warmth on D, halt Knicks’ nine-game win streak

NEW YORK — The Los Angeles Lakers started Saturday night time’s sport with a contemporary look — beginning Rui Hachimura over Taurean Prince — and ended it with fierce protection to beat the Knicks 113-105, snapping New York’s nine-game profitable streak.

The Knicks, taking part in with out Julius Randle, OG Anunoby and Quentin Grimes, held an 86-80 lead after three quarters earlier than L.A.’s protection put the clamps on to shut issues out.

The Lakers restricted the Knicks to 19 factors within the fourth — together with simply 10 factors via the primary 11 minutes, earlier than New York began fouling to increase the sport — to validate their upset over the Boston Celtics on Thursday with one other sturdy effort.

“It is nice when the Knicks are profitable and also you get to come back in right here and play aggressive basketball on the highest degree,” mentioned LeBron James, who led L.A. with 24 factors and performed all however 55 seconds of the second half. “The place each possession means one thing, particularly within the fourth quarter. And to have the ability to make some performs within the fourth quarter to show some tides.

“It is one thing that feels nice.”

Jalen Brunson paced the Knicks with 36 factors however was held to simply 4-for-9 capturing to go together with two turnovers within the fourth quarter as L.A. repeatedly blitzed pick-and-rolls to ship two defenders at him.

“I imply, they have been simply sending two defenders every time there was any motion that was occurring,” Brunson mentioned. “I used to be both making an attempt to get round it or simply hitting the roll man to make the play, relocating and discovering a approach to nonetheless be impactful. I believe we made good performs all through the sport, simply not sufficient.”

Anthony Davis, regardless of scoring solely 12 factors on 4-for-12 capturing, was everywhere in the ground defensively, ending with 18 rebounds and 4 blocked pictures.

Two of these blocks got here on the identical Knicks possession late within the third quarter when he swatted Josh Hart then Brunson in a matter of seconds, igniting a quick break for the Lakers that ended with two free throws by Austin Reaves, who put up 22 factors.

“Shot-blocking was an element,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau mentioned. “AD performed a fantastic sport with out having a whole lot of factors; LeBron the identical. These guys learn the sport. LeBron performed 41 minutes. Credit score to him; he is in that kind of form. Davis is a load to cope with.”

The Lakers, who’ve concern that Jarred Vanderbilt’s proper foot damage might price him the remainder of the marketing campaign, in keeping with ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, imagine that constant defensive effort even with out Vanderbilt will give them the perfect probability to make a run late within the season.

“Actually, shedding one among our largest defensive presences is hard, however guys acquired to step up and take the problem,” Davis mentioned. “I believe any one-on-one matchup you bought to take private. That is the way you get higher: Take it private.”

Hachimura had seven factors on 3-for-5 capturing and 4 rebounds with the starters, and Prince led L.A.’s bench scorers with 16 factors on 6-for-10 capturing. It was one among 15 beginning lineups that Lakers coach Darvin Ham has used this season and one which he hopes will stick from right here on out.

“I am hoping like loopy,” Ham mentioned. “Out of these 15 totally different ones, it has been three which were deliberate and never [due to] unexpected circumstances. So, yeah. That is the totally the plan.”

L.A. is 3-2 on its six-game highway journey and can shut it out on Monday towards the Charlotte Hornets.

“We’re simply making an attempt to get to a spot the place we’re taking part in the kind of basketball we envision, the kind of basketball we all know we’re able to,” Ham mentioned. “And defend at a excessive, excessive degree.”

ESPN’s Tim Bontemps contributed to this report.