James and Davis Return Take Out Knicks In OT

 

 

By Andrew Rosario

 

 

After sitting out Monday night’s game against the Brooklyn Nets which resulted in a loss, LeBron James and Anthony Davis returned to line-up Tuesday night when the Los Angeles Lakers (23-28 last place in the Pacific division) invaded  Madison Square Garden and the New York Knicks (27-24 4^th place in the Atlantic division). The duo’s impact was felt immediately as Davis scored 7 first quarter points with James chipping in 5 as the Lakers took a 29-24 first quarter lead. Knicks shooting guard Immanuel Quickley nailed a 3-pointer with 10:38 left in the second quarter, tying the game at 29. Both teams’ would trade baskets until Quickley scored 4-straight points on a jump shot, then stripping Dennis Schroder for a breakaway lay-up giving the Knicks a 51-43 lead forcing the Lakers head coach Darvin Ham to call a time out. James returned with just under 3-minutes to and scored 4 quick points, cutting the to 51-49. Schroder atoned for his earlier mistake hitting a 3-point half court shot as the buzzer went off as Los Angeles went into locker room down 53-52. At the half. Power forward Rui Hachimura led the Lakers with 11 points while guard Russel Westbrook came off the bench to score 10. Knicks guard Jalen Brunson led all scorers with 16 points with Quickley adding 13 off the bench.

 

 

Hachimura picked up where he left off in the first half hitting a jumper giving the Lakers a brief 2-point lead (55-53) with Knicks shooting guard tying the game hitting 2-free throws. Both teams struggled for the rest of the third quarter with no team going up by more than 5 points with the Lakers taking a 86-83 lead going into the fourth.

 

Westbrook’s basket with 6:08 left in the fourth put Los Angeles 107-100 and things looked dire for the Knicks. With 1:41 left, James drops a jump shot putting the Lakers up by 6 (114-108) all but sealing the game. New York had other things in store. Stepping up their defense, New York did not allow another Lakers point with Brunson hitting a jump shot to tie the game at 14, sending it in to over time. New York had a chance to win it in regulation but head coach Tom Thibodeau elected to call a play for Julius Randle instead of the hot Brunson. Randle did not get a shot off. Explained Thibodeau of the strategy, “there’s three options on that play. So they have to read the defense. LeBron was on Jalen and Davis was on Julius and depending on what they’re doing, they could go either way. So there were options on that play.”

 

It was all Los Angeles in the extra session as they outscored New York 15-9 to come away with the 129-123 victory. James (his first triple double this season) led his team with 28 points with Davis adding 27. Brunson led all scorers with 37 while Randall chipped in 23.

 

The Knicks host their next three games starting Thursday against the Miami Heat. The Los Angeles Clippers come to town Saturday night and it will be a quick turnaround as the Philadelphia 76ers come to the Garden Sunday.