The Knicks capped a roller-coaster road trip out West on a high note against the Lakers, winning 114-109 in Los Angeles to bounce back from Saturday’s 144-122 loss at the Clippers and salvage a split of the four-game swing.
Four things to know from Monday’s game
1. A decisive third quarter pulled the Knicks (15-11) ahead for good. After trailing 58-57 at halftime, the Knicks and Lakers (15-12) traded blows into the third quarter’s last three minutes. Josh Hart‘s bucket at the 2:29 mark put the Knicks up 80-78 and sparked a 12-2 run to enter the fourth quarter. Consecutive treys by Immanuel Quickley and Quentin Grimes in the span of 20 seconds during the final minute served as the collective exclamation point with the Knicks leading 90-80 into the final frame.
2. The Knicks, especially Jalen Brunson, had answers for the Lakers throughout the last 12 minutes. The Lakers cut the Knicks’ lead to four points or fewer three times, the second coming at 103-99 on LeBron James‘ dunk with 3:38 left, but Julius Randle responded out of a full timeout by drilling a triple on the ensuing possession. Earlier in the fourth quarter, after an Austin Reaves and-one bucket deflated the Knicks’ double-digit cushion to 94-90, Brunson connected on a step-back from long range the following possession.
3. Brunson (29) and Randle (27) combined for 54 points while Quickley added 20 off the bench. Quickley was 8-of-15 shooting, including a 3-for-7 clip from deep, in 28 minutes. Randle, who scored 16 of his points in the first half, fueled the Knicks’ 35-27 first quarter and logged 43 minutes. Brunson, two games removed from his career-high 50 points, was 10-of-21 shooting while hitting three treys on six attempts in 37 minutes.
4. Frontcourt depth took a hit with starting center Jericho Sims exiting in the first half due to a sprained right ankle. The Knicks — already without Mitchell Robinson for an extended period of time — turned to backup Isaiah Hartenstein and the recently-signed Taj Gibson as a result. Hartenstein, whose action increased from the jump with Sims picking up two early fouls. Ultimately, Hartenstein embraced the challenge by grabbing a career-high 17 rebounds in 39 minutes.
Highlights
What’s next
The Knicks return to the East Coast but remain away from MSG with Wednesday’s 7:30 p.m. game at the Nets. Brooklyn (13-13) is .500 for the first time since Nov. 30 after Monday’s 125-108 loss at the Utah Jazz extended a three-game skid and capped a 1-4 road trip out West.
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