The New York Knicks went into the Crypto.com Arena on Sunday and came out with a desperately needed win against the Lakers in LA. Julius Randle led his side with 33 points in the 112-108 road victory.
James and Brunson out
The Knicks were in the midst of a three game losing streak after winning nine straight and went into the former Staples Center on the third of a four game road trip. They were without Jalen Brunson and they needed a statement win after a couple of tough games.
Los Angeles was again without LeBron James who will need at least another week before his injured foot is reevaluated. Despite The King’s absence the Lakers had rattled off three straight wins and seven of their last nine.
With stars for both sides out, it was Julius Randle and D’Angelo Williams that locked horns in the first half. Russell had 13 points in the first six minutes of the game as he started hot from downtown and stayed hot from downtown. Randle looked like he had something to prove against the team that drafted him out of Kentucky almost a decade ago.
Randle’s retracing roots
Randle came out in the first quarter and scored 18 points in the place he used to call home. This came after a subpar last few games in which he and the Knicks struggled to find their offensive rhythm.
Randle ended the half with 25 points as the Knicks took control of the scoreboard in the first quarter and didn’t let it up until late in the third quarter. The Lakers went on a 9-0 run to take the lead before the fourth thanks to Russell who had 33 on the night. Anthony Davis followed up an 8 point game against the Raptors with a 14 points perfromance in another underwhelming night as New York took advantage.
Randle took a bow, and it was RJ Barrett’s time to shine came in the fourth quarter. On a night where he met Denzel Washington, Barrett was the Equalizer in the final 12 minutes to make the difference and bring an end to the losing streak for the Knicks. He had 13 of his 30 in the final quarter and was constantly getting to the bucket as he sliced through the Lakers defense all night. He sealed the game with a three ball late in the fourth to give the Knicks a 10 point lead, their largest of the night.
Lakers currently out of Play-In
With the win, the Knicks who sit in sixth in the East distance them further from the Play-In spotsand can continue to dream about hosting a first round playoff series. The Lakers three game win streak came to an end, which drops them to 11th in the West and that means they would miss the playoffs if the season ended on Sunday night. LA have the same record as the 10th placed Thunder and the 9th placed Jazz, and are just a game back from the 8th placed Mavs. The 6th placed Warriors who would avoid the Play-In tournament, are just two games ahead of the Lakers in a jam packed Western Conference.