Los Angeles Lakers, despite the absence of one of their stars, achieved an impressive 110-97 victory over the New York Knicks. The match, played on Sunday, demonstrated the team’s ability to overcome adversity. LeBron James was a late scratch due to a contusion in his left elbow and arthritis in his left foot. However, the defense of the Los Angeles team, combined with the offensive performance of Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, gave them control of the game. The Lakers’ defense limited the Knicks’ offense, ranked among the best in the NBA, to 42.7% effectiveness and 19 turnovers. In addition, they managed to keep the Knicks 20 points below their scoring average.
Lakers coach JJ Redick highlighted the collective effort of his players in every possession and the willingness of Doncic, Reaves, and Marcus Smart to sacrifice themselves and take charges against the Knicks players heading to the basket. That’s a sacrifice play. You have to put your body on the line. Our guys have been motivated to do that all year. In terms of offense, Doncic led the scoring with 35 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 steals. Reaves contributed 25 points, 5 assists, and 3 steals. This was the third time Reaves surpassed 20 points since returning from a left calf injury in early February.We definitely need to be a better defensive team, and I think we’re showing that we can do it.
Luka Doncic
The Lakers improved their record to 9-2 this season when Reaves and Doncic play together without James.When I got here… I just told myself to have fun. I don’t feel like I’ve played poorly [recently]. I just haven’t made many shots, and I feel like I’ve done a lot of other things well.
Austin Reaves
The victory on Sunday was a rare positive result for the Lakers against a high-caliber rival. Previously, they had a 4-12 record against teams with a .600 or higher winning percentage. Rui Hachimura, who scored 13 points starting in place of James, commented on the victory:It’s great to be his teammate. Obviously, he needs to be aggressive like that, but just playing with him is very easy because he attracts a lot of attention, it also helps others.
Luka Doncic
The Lakers will face tough competition in their upcoming games, with four of their next five opponents being the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Denver Nuggets, and the Houston Rockets (twice). Coach Redick prefers not to overreact to the situation, but emphasizes that the team is in a good position.We take it personally, I think, and then we got this win. It was a great team win.
Rui Hachimura
I’m not in a position where I can overreact. You guys [in the media] do. The fans, rightfully so, should always overreact. It’s what makes fandom so incredible… My job is not to overreact. We’re 15-9 in our last 24. We’re a top-10 offense and a top-15 defense. That’s what we wanted to be going into the season with this group, and that’s where our group is right now.
JJ Redick
