Jalen Brunson brought the Knicks back. With a chance to win the game, the ball was taken out of his hands. And with that, so was the Knicks’ chance to beat LeBron James.
Coach Tom Thibodeau opted for a Julius Randle isolation in the final seconds of regulation, and he didn’t even get a shot off. In overtime, James and the Lakers took over, and handed the Knicks their sixth loss in eight games, 129-123, at a sold-out Garden.
In James’ first game at the Garden in three years, he didn’t disappoint after a slow start. The self-described King produced the 106th regular-season triple-double of his career, notching 28 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds, and moved into fourth place on the all-time assists list, passing Mark Jackson and Steve Nash.
Brunson was brilliant, notching 37 points on 13 of 29 shooting, while the other two Knicks’ leading scorers, Randle and RJ Barrett, shot a combined 11 of 32 from the field. Barrett was taken out with 6:51 left in the fourth quarter and didn’t return. Immanuel Quickley received his minutes down the stretch, and scored 19 points along with eight assists. Anthony Davis added 27 for the Lakers.
James’ 3-pointer with 1:41 left in regulation seemed to have iced the game, giving the Lakers a six-point lead after the Knicks had come so close two possessions earlier to go ahead. Randle, Quentin Grimes and Brunson all missed go-ahead 3-pointer attempts, and Brunson missed the next time down court. But the Knicks then reeled off six straight points, four coming from Brunson to get them even at 114 with 24 seconds to go.
On the ensuing possession, James found Davis in the lane, but Brunson drew the charge with 4.5 seconds left, giving the Knicks a chance to win it at the buzzer. But Randle couldn’t get a shot off after his baseline drive.
The energy in the building seemed initially to have an adverse effect on the Knicks. Their shots were off, their ball movement was lacking, and they started flat. The Knicks started 2 of 16 from the field and had just five points 7:27 after the opening tip. Fortunately for them, the Lakers weren’t much better, and only held a 10-point edge by that point.
Eventually, the Knicks settled down, mostly because Brunson shot them out of that shaky start, scoring 11 of their 24 first-quarter points. As has been the case of late, the bench gave the Knicks a lift. Quickley and Isaiah Hartenstein keyed a 15-5 run in the second quarter that had the Knicks up eight. They didn’t close the half well, producing just four points over the final 3:30, and took a one-point lead into the break after Dennis Schroder banked in a half-court shot at the buzzer.
Two of the Knicks’ Big 3, Randle and Barrett, had a rough first half, shooting a combined 3 of 17. James wasn’t much better, settling for long jumpers and making only 4 of 10 attempts. Although the Knicks shot poorly from the field as a team, at a 38.5 percent clip, they did the little things well, committing just four turnovers and allowing the Lakers just one offensive rebound.
James finally got going in the third quarter, scoring nine points and helping the Lakers take a three-point edge into the final period. That lead went up to seven early in the fourth quarter, as the Lakers threatened to pull away.
