Knicks Turn Up the Heat, Lakers Fade Late at the Garden
Sunday night at Madison Square Garden had all the ingredients for a marquee regular season showdown: the storied Knicks hosting LeBron James and the Lakers, possibly for the final time in LeBron’s career. Add in two teams trying to prove they belong in the championship conversation, and you had a game circled on calendars across the league.
And for a while, it delivered.
The Lakers came out strong, building a nine-point lead in the first quarter and heading into halftime with a 56-52 advantage. But the second half? That was all New York.
Fueled by a 12-2 run late in the third quarter, the Knicks flipped the script. They outscored Los Angeles 38-26 in that period and never looked back, cruising to a 112-100 win.
The Lakers' offense dried up after halftime, managing just 44 points over the final two quarters. Their shooting numbers told the story: 45.2% from the field and a cold 28.6% from three.
Meanwhile, the Knicks were dialed in, hitting nearly 43% of their threes and dominating the hustle stats - 16-7 in fast-break points and a 46-36 edge on the glass.
Let’s break down how the key Lakers performed in this one - and why this game might sting a little more than most.
Marcus Smart: D/D+
Defensively, Smart did his job.
He helped limit Knicks All-Star Jalen Brunson to just 12 points on 4-of-15 shooting - no small feat. But the other side of the ball was a different story.
Smart struggled to get anything going offensively, finishing with just seven points on 2-of-9 shooting, including 1-of-4 from deep. He added three assists and a steal in 30 minutes, but the Lakers needed more from him - especially with their offense sputtering after halftime.
Jake LaRavia: D
In a game where the Lakers desperately needed role players to step up, LaRavia couldn’t find a rhythm.
He went 2-of-7 from the field (mostly from beyond the arc), finishing with five points, two rebounds, two assists, a steal, and a block in 23 minutes. Not a disaster on the stat sheet, but not nearly enough of an impact to tilt the game in L.A.’s favor.
Deandre Ayton: D+/C-
Ayton looked solid early, scoring 11 points in the first half.
But as the Knicks ramped up their intensity, his involvement faded. He ended with 13 points, five rebounds, and minimal impact in the second half.
Defensively, he struggled to control the paint. Karl-Anthony Towns pulled down 13 boards, and Mitchell Robinson added seven more off the bench.
The Lakers needed Ayton to anchor the interior - instead, he was mostly a non-factor down the stretch.
LeBron James: B-
LeBron was efficient - 9-of-15 shooting for 22 points, along with five rebounds, six assists, and a steal in 35 minutes.
But the timing of his impact left something to be desired. As the Knicks made their third-quarter push and the game slipped away in the fourth, LeBron wasn’t able to stem the tide.
It wasn’t a poor performance, but in a high-stakes game like this, the Lakers needed their leader to take over late. That moment never came.
Luka Doncic: A-
Doncic poured in 30 points on 10-of-23 shooting (5-of-14 from three) and added 15 rebounds and eight assists.
The numbers were there, but the offensive flow wasn’t. Too often, the Lakers’ offense bogged down into isolation sets with Doncic at the top, dribbling down the clock before hoisting a tough shot.
He can hit those, sure, but it’s not a sustainable formula - and it showed. When the ball stops moving, so does the offense.
And in the second half, that stagnation was glaring.
Gabe Vincent: A-
In limited minutes, Vincent gave the Lakers a much-needed spark.
He scored eight points on 3-of-5 shooting (2-of-4 from three) in just 18 minutes and added a rebound. It wasn’t flashy, but it was efficient - and on a night when offense was hard to come by, Vincent’s contribution stood out.
Jaxson Hayes: D+/C-
Hayes had two blocks in 12 minutes, but otherwise didn’t leave much of a mark.
He finished with just two points and two rebounds. With Ayton fading in the second half, the Lakers needed Hayes to step up and provide a presence in the paint.
That didn’t happen.
Rui Hachimura: B
Hachimura continues to settle into his role as a bench scorer.
He put up 11 points on 5-of-11 shooting, with three rebounds and an assist in 29 minutes. The Lakers are dead last in bench points per game, so any reliable production from the second unit is a win.
Hachimura’s ability to create his own shot and provide a scoring punch is becoming increasingly important.
Jarred Vanderbilt: D
Vanderbilt brought energy on defense, but his offensive struggles were hard to overlook.
He missed all four of his shot attempts and grabbed just two rebounds in 20 minutes. For a player known for hustle and versatility, this was a quiet outing.
Dalton Knecht, Maxi Kleber, Drew Timme, Nick Smith Jr.: Incomplete
None of these players made a meaningful impact. Knecht, Timme, and Smith went scoreless, while Kleber chipped in one point and one rebound.
Final Takeaway
This wasn’t just a missed opportunity for the Lakers - it was a reminder of their ongoing issues.
The offense lacks rhythm, the ball movement stalls, and too much falls on the shoulders of their stars in crunch time. Against a well-coached, energetic Knicks squad, that formula unraveled.
The good news? It’s still the regular season. But if the Lakers want to be taken seriously come playoff time, they’ll need more cohesion - and more contributions - across the board.