The Los Angeles Lakers ended the New York Knicks’ nine-game winning streak on Saturday night, as they came away with a 113-105 win at Madison Square Garden. It was a back-and-forth contest for much of the night, but the Lakers took over in the fourth quarter to improve to 26-25 on the season.
Leading the way was LeBron James, as he had 24 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block on his return from injury. Anthony Davis, meanwhile, had a quiet showing on offense, but still had a big impact, finishing with 12 points, 18 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, and 4 blocks.
Austin Reaves ended up being the Lakers’ second leading scorer with 22 points and 14 of them came in that fourth quarter, which the Lakers won 33-19. Their defense really shone in that final period, as they held the Knicks scoreless for nearly seven minutes at one point.
The Knicks certainly missed Julius Randle and OG Anunoby in this one, as they were both out injured. Jalen Brunson had 36 points and Donte DiVincenzo finished with 26, but no one else had much of an impact on offense, as New York dropped to 32-18.
Lakers Fans Are Thrilled With The Win
This triumph for the Lakers comes on the back of an impressive win over the Boston Celtics on Thursday night. They have now beaten two of the heavyweights in the East, and their fans are thrilled.
One says they own Boston and New York.
WE OWN BOSTON AND NEW YORK
— Lakers All Day Everyday (@LADEig) February 4, 2024
A fan praised the defensive effort.
Held them almost 7 mins without making any points.
That was one hell of defense.
— Taif Zamili (@taif_zamil1) February 4, 2024
One pointed out that the Lakers are now 2-0 since LeBron made that infamous post.
2-0 Since LeBron’s post. pic.twitter.com/4cNzReRsw5
— FADE (@FadeAwayMedia) February 4, 2024
A fan believes the Lakers will win it all this season.
Lakers winning the whole damn thing.
— SILO 🦅 (@ImGreatImGood) February 4, 2024
One fan is hoping the Lakers stick with this lineup.
GREAT TEAM WIN! KEEP THE LINEUPS THE SAME
— Blake (@BatSpy) February 4, 2024
Lakers fans had been calling for Taurean Prince to be benched by head coach Darvin Ham, and he finally did it here. Rui Hachimura got the start over him and he ended the night with 7 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 assist.
The benching seemed to light a fire under Prince too, as he recorded 16 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 block. It will be interesting to see if Ham ends up sticking with this lineup moving forward, as he has been chopping and changing his starting five all season.
LeBron James Is Not Committing To The Lakers Just Yet
A hot topic of conversation in the NBA world over the last week is LeBron’s future. The Lakers haven’t lived up to expectations this season, and James’ comments before this game didn’t exactly fill you with optimism that he will be a Laker next season.
When asked if he knew what he was going to do about his upcoming player option worth $51.4 million for the 2024-25 season, James said no. Normally with these questions, you hear players talk about how much they would love to continue with their team and whatnot, but LeBron was rather blunt there.
He could just be trying to pressure the Lakers’ front office into making some big moves in order to turn this season around by refusing to commit. If they don’t ensure he is happy, LeBron could just opt out and leave in the summer, which would be disastrous. The February 8 trade deadline is fast approaching, though, and it will be interesting to see if the Lakers can pull off a move in the coming days.
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