The Knicks continue to roll.
With a 112-100 win over the Lakers on Sunday night at Madison Square Garden, New York improved to 31-18 on the season-another statement victory during a stretch where they’ve looked like one of the East’s most complete teams. The Lakers, now 29-19, had their moments but couldn’t keep pace down the stretch, especially with New York’s defense tightening the screws in the second half.
Luka Dončić did everything he could to keep L.A. in it. The superstar guard stuffed the stat sheet with 30 points, 15 rebounds, and eight assists in 37 minutes of action.
He was aggressive from the jump, attacking mismatches and creating looks for teammates, but the support just wasn’t consistent enough. LeBron James added 22 points of his own, showing flashes of vintage brilliance, but even that wasn’t enough to overcome New York’s balanced attack.
As for Dalton Knecht, the rookie out of Tennessee saw just one minute of action and didn’t record any stats. It’s been a quiet start to his NBA career, but his résumé from college speaks for itself.
A first-round pick by the Lakers in 2024 (No. 17 overall), Knecht made a name for himself during his lone season at Tennessee after transferring from Northern Colorado. He averaged 21.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game, leading the Vols to an SEC regular-season title and a deep NCAA Tournament run that ended in the Elite Eight.
Along the way, he picked up SEC Player of the Year and SEC Newcomer of the Year honors-no small feat in one of college basketball’s toughest conferences.
The Lakers won’t have much time to dwell on the loss. They’re back in action Tuesday night in Brooklyn, where they’ll face the Nets at Barclays Center.
Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. EST.
With the standings tightening and the All-Star break approaching, every game counts-and L.A. will be looking to bounce back in a big way.