Lakers Fall to Knicks on Luka - Versary

THE LAKERS CANNOT SUSTAIN FOR 48 MINUTES. WE LOOK GOOD IN BURST - WE’LL GET BACK TO THAT. ON THE SAME DAY OF THE PAVEMENT CRACKING LUKA DONCIC TRADE FROM THE MAVS TO THE LAKERS…WHICH THE TEAM RECEIVED THE NEWS AFTER BEATING THE NEW YORK KNICKS IN A FEBRUARY 1ST 2025 CONTEST AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN WHERE 40 YEAR OLD LEBRON RECORDED A 33 POINT 12 ASSIST 11 REBOUND TRIPLE DOUBLE.  TODAY THEY FACE THE SAME TEAM - THE SAME DAY.

ALSO, TODAY LAKERS LEBRON JAMES WAS NAMED TO A RECORD BREAKING (HIS OWN RECORD)  22ND NBA ALL STAR GAME AS A NOW 41 YEAR OLD RESERVE. WITH THE TEAM IN THE MIDST OF A SEASON LONG 8 GAME ROAD TRIP THEY NOW PREPARE TO TRY TO TAKE DOWN THE STREAKING KNICKERBOCKERS.

AFTER KARL ANTHONY TOWNS WON THE TIP THE LAKERS GOT THE GAME STARTED WITH A STOP TO GO ALONG WITH LEBRON FINDING A STREAKING LUKA FOR THE FOOTBALL LIKE OUTLET PASS FOR THE OPENING SCORE. THE KNICKS QUICKLY RESPOND WITH TWO UNCONTESTED 3’S FROM OG ANUNOBY AND JALEN BRUNSON RESPECTIVELY TO GET THE GARDEN CROWD GOING EARLY. A GOOD SIGN EARLY FOR THE LAKERS WAS AN AGRESSIVE DEANDRE AYTON WHO CONVERTED TWO QUICK OOPS TO TIE THE SCORE EARLY. ANUNOBY TOOK THE LEAD BACK WITH A 2 POINTER, BEFORE 5 QUICK LEBRON POINTS AND A SEESAW 1ST QUARTER WITH MULTIPLE LEAD CHANGES BEFORE THE LAKERS TOOK EARLY CONTROL BEHIND AN 11 POINT LUKA DONCIC FIRST QUARTER AND A FAST START FROM DEANDRE AYTON THE LAKERS TOOK A 33-27 LEAD HIGLIGHTED BY A JAXSON HAYES BLOCK ON JOSH HEART LEADING TO A LUKA TO RUI FASTBREAK ALLEY OOP REMINISCENT OF SHOWTIME. WE EVEN CAUGHT A GABE VINCENT SIGHTING EARLY FROM 3. ALLS WELL THAT STARTS WELL RIGHT?

HACHIMURA GOT THE 2ND QUARTER STARTED TO TAKE AN 8 POINT LEAD WHICH WOULD BE THE LAKERS LARGEST. AFTER A STOP THE LAKERS GOT A CHANCE TO GO UP DOUBLE DIGITS BUT LEBRON MISSED TWO FREE THROWS. THE KNICKS BENCH WAS THE STORY OF THE 2ND QUARTER TYLER KOLEK & MUHAMAD DIAWARA HIT HUGE MOMENTUM 3’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

SIDENOTE: WHOEVER PLAYED THE SAXOPHONE AT HALFTIME AT MSG WENT CRAZY!

MY THOUGHTS AT HALF WERE THE LAKERS FEEL LIKE THEY SHOULD BE UP MORE THAN 4. OUTSIDE OF THE BENCH SCORING 3 TROUBLING CATEGORIES STUCK OUT, KNICKS +9 FROM 3 POINT LAND. OUTREBOUNDING THE LAKERS 24-19 & UP 10-4 FASTBREAK POINTS. LUKA PER USUAL HAD A STRONG FIRST HALF 18 POINTS 7 REB & 4 ASSIST. AYTON HAD 11 (9 IN THE FIRST) AND RUI HAD 9 OF THE BENCH HIMSELF.

THE THIRD QUARTER HAS BEEN UNKIND TO TH LAKERS, AND THIS ONE WAS NO DIFFERENCE. LIKE I SAID AT THE TOP THE LAKERS LOOK GOOD IN BURST. FOR NOW WE DONT APPEAR TO BE A 4 QUARTER TEAM - ON EITHER SIDE. THE KNICKS OUTSCORED THE LAKERS 38-26 IN THE 3RD QUARTER TO FLIP A 4 POINT HALF TIME DEFICIT TO A TO AN 8 POINT 4TH QUARTER LEAD, EXCEPT IN WAS THE STARTERS THIS TIME. BRUNSON STARTED THE SCORING WITH A SMOOTH 16 FOOT STEP BACK JUMPER. BEFORE THE KNICKS GOT TO THE RIM AT WILL ALL 3RD QUARTER KAT WAS UNSTOPPABLE DOWN LOW WITH PUTBACKS, JOSH HART AND MIKAIL BRIDGES SCORING AT RIM TO GO ALONG WITH ANUNOBY ALSO HITTING MUTLIPLE 3’S IN THE 3RD TO TAKE CONTROL INCLUDING ONE WITH 6.2 SECONDS LEFT OFF A JALEN BRUNSON ASSIST. LEBRON MISSED A LATE HEAVE AND THE LAKERS TRAILED GOING INTO THE 4TH QUARTER NEW YORK 90-LAKERS 82.

THE LAKERS OFFENSE STRUGGLED EVEN MORE IN THE 4TH - INCLUDING ONLY 3 FROM LUKA. WHEN THEY DID SCORE THEY TRADED BASKETS AND NEVER GOT WITHIN 4 DURING THE 4TH QUARTER WHICH THE KNICKS CONTROLLED AS THEY DID SINCE HALFTIME. WHEN MARCUS SMART HIT A 3 TO BRING THE SCORE TO SINGLE DIGITS WITH OVER TWO MINUTES TO GO THE LAKERS GOT TWO STOPS BUT FAILED TO SECURE EITHER REBOUND WHICH THE KNICKS SCORED ON THE THIRD ATTEMPT WHICH WASTHE DAGGER FROM YOU GUESSED IT - LANDRY SHAMMET. HE ALSO HIT ONE MORE AFTER THAT FOR GOOD MEASURE. THE SADDEST PART IS AT THEIR BEST THE LAKERS LOOKED REALLY GOOD TONIGHT. ONLY FOR MOMENTS. KNICKS 112 - LAKERS 100

WITH THE LOSS THE LAKERS ARE CURRENTLY IN THE PLAY IN.

Written by Malcolm Xavier of The Lakers Room