Lakers beat Knicks in OT after second-half takeover.
The Lakers bounced back in LeBron’s return to the lineup, beating the Knicks in overtime after a big second-half effort that saw the Lakers come back from a 21-point deficit, dropping New York 122–115 to improve their record to 26–28.
LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Malik Monk were the x-factors in tonight’s overtime win, totaling 86 points and 119 minutes combined, shooting 59% between the trio on 37-for-63 total, with LeBron (13-rebounds) and Davis (17-rebounds) linking for 20 rebounds together.
Russell Westbrook was the talk of the night outside of the Lakers' success against the Knicks, getting bench in overtime and booed for home fans when he touched the ball in spurts, Westbrook finished with just 5 points on 10% (1-for-10) shooting from the floor.
After the game, both LeBron and Davis spoke on Westbrook’s benching, with James saying: “I told him to text me later. I told him to keep going, stop second-guessing himself. He’s an instinctive player, with what he’s done in this league, he should never second guess himself. I have the utmost confidence in his ability.”
With Anthony Davis speaking on the Laker fans booing Westbrook, saying: “The fans obviously want to see him play better. He’s got to stay out of his own head, continue to play, and do the little things.”
After missing five games to a knee injury, LeBron James finished with a triple-double of 29 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists in 39 minutes in his return to the lineup. With a plus/minus of +12, James had the best plus/minus of the game, shooting 54 percent from the field on 13-of-24 shooting.
LeBron spoke on how his knee felt in his first game back, saying: “After the 1st quarter, my knee loosened up a lot more, my mind loosened up just excited to be back.”
Davis finished his third straight game with 15 plus rebounds, adding a game-high 17 in tonight’s win, scoring 28 points on 68%(13-for-19) shooting from the floor in 41 minutes.
LeBron spoke on his teammate Anthony Davis, who has been playing at a high level since his return from injury, saying: “The time that he missed brought back the hunger. Simple as that.”
Outside of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, Malik Monk has been the most consistent player on the Lakers roster, giving LA a needed outing, scoring 29 points on 55% (11-for-20) shooting in 29 minutes.
Head coach Frank Vogel explained the versatility of Monk, saying: Frank Vogel on Malik Monk: “There’s a reliability to his game. He’s been one of our most reliable offensive players.”
The Lakers’ next matchup comes at home against the 32–21 defending champs Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday in their last home game before a two-game road trip.
