The young stars led the way for the New York Knicks and the Los Angeles Lakers, but Kristaps Porzingis was too much for the Lakers to handle.
- New York Knicks 113 (14-13)
- Los Angeles Lakers 109 (10-16)
- NBA, Final, Box Score
- Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
Kristaps Porzingis once again proved he was the best player on the floor, scoring 37 points on 14-of-26 shooting, 11 rebounds and five blocks, leading the New York Knicks to a 113-109 overtime victory against the Los Angeles Lakers at Madison Square Garden.
A lot of people complain about the NBA being top heavy and having too many non-competitive teams. They should have watched this game. Neither the Knicks nor the Lakers will be title contenders this season, but this game was everything you want to see as a fan.
This game was neck and neck throughout. Neither team could ever go on a big enough run to pull away. With under a minute left and a 5 point lead, Knicks gave up two straight buckets to allow the Lakers to tie it up. Kyle Kuzma hit a big three to tie the score at 99-99 with only 23.9 seconds left. The Knicks had a chance to win the game on the final shot, but Kristaps Porzingis shot a contested three that hit off the back rim.
Overtime didn’t start much different from the way regulation ended. The teams traded buckets and the Knicks got some timely hoops from Doug McDermott as well as the walking bucket Michael Beasley. Lakers coach Luke Walton made an extremely questionable coaching decision late in overtime. They opted not to foul down four with a seven-second difference between the shot clock and game clock.
With the exception of Brandon Ingram, who struggled mightily to score, the young stars showed up tonight. Lakers rookies Lonzo Ball and Kyle Kuzma had really nice Madison Square Garden debuts. Ball finished the game with 17 points, eight rebounds, and six assists. Kyle Kuzma chipped in with 19 points and six rebounds.
Ball made some fantastic passes in this game. The prettiest of those passes came at the end of the first half where Ball drove the lane and kicked out to Kentavious Caldwell-Pope for a three. Knicks fans who doubted Lonzo Ball may be rethinking that right now.
Porzingis, who led all scorers, has been playing so well at home for the Knicks. His importance to this team cannot be overstated. He was about as good as it gets tonight.
Frank Ntilikina had one of his better games of the season. He contributed in a multitude of ways. He finished the game with 13 points, five rebounds, and five assists. The most promising part of Ntilikina’s game came from behind the arc. He was a promising 3-for-4 from deep.
Tim Hardaway, Jr.’s ability to score the ball is sorely missed right now. Courtney Lee is having one of the best offensive seasons of his career, but he struggled mightily tonight. Having Hardaway, Jr. in the lineup takes some of the pressure off of Courtney Lee to be the second option to Porzingis. If the Knicks can continue to win games in Hardaway Jr.’s absence, they will greatly improve their chances to sneak into the playoffs this year.
The Knicks head to Brooklyn on Thursday to face the Nets. They have been horrendous on the road this season, but a night in Brooklyn may be exactly what they need to get back on track.
.@CourtneyLee5 ? to the paint.
13-13 Q1. pic.twitter.com/jK9To0Rf0U
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) December 13, 2017
? swat. pic.twitter.com/GKcpbPPAzn
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) December 13, 2017
KO ? to KP pic.twitter.com/6aCSYfxx87
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) December 13, 2017
? Zingis pic.twitter.com/ZbmLO7UoEx
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) December 13, 2017
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) December 13, 2017
KOQ in traffic. pic.twitter.com/i7p8z5MFoj
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) December 13, 2017
.@FrankLikina: 10p, 4a, 4r pic.twitter.com/oZtasJw8Xv
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) December 13, 2017
Clutch bucket ?? pic.twitter.com/5T5wjclp6I
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) December 13, 2017
