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Dave McMenamin, ESPN staff writer
NEW YORK — The Los Angeles Lakers started Saturday night’s game with a fresh start — starting with Rui Hachimura on Taurean Prince — and a strong defense ended New York’s nine-game winning streak with a 113-105 win over the Knicks.
The Knicks, playing without Julius Randle, OG Anunoby and Quentin Grimes, took an 86-80 lead after three quarters before the LA defense clamped down on things.
The Lakers held the Knicks to 19 points in the fourth before New York went on a rampage to extend the game — securing their upset against the Boston Celtics with another strong effort.
“It’s great when the Knicks win and you come in here and play competitive basketball at a high level,” said LeBron James, who led L.A. with 24 points and played all but 55 seconds in the second half. “Every possession means something, especially in the fourth quarter. And to make some plays in the fourth quarter to turn some tide.
“It feels really good.”
Jaylen Brunson paced the Knicks with 36 points but was held to just 4-for-9 shooting to get two turnovers in the fourth quarter, prompting LA to repeatedly send two defenders at him with pick-and-rolls.
“Every time what was happening, they were only sending two defenders,” Brunson said. “I was trying to get around it or hit a roll man to make the play, finding a way to go somewhere else and still make an impact. I think we made some good plays in the game, just not enough.”
Anthony Davis held the floor defensively, finishing with 18 rebounds and four blocked shots, despite scoring just 12 points on 4-for-12 shooting.
Two of those blocks came on the same kink in the third quarter, beating Josh Hart and then Brunson within seconds, igniting a fast break for the Lakers, who scored 22 points on two free throws by Austin Reaves. .
“Shot blocking was one factor,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “AD played a great game without a lot of points, LeBron the same. Those guys read the game. LeBron played 41 minutes. Credit to him; he’s in that kind of shape. Davis is a burden to deal with.”
Concerned that Jared Vanderbilt’s right leg injury could sideline him for the rest of the campaign, the Lakers believe ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski believes a consistent defensive effort without Vanderbilt will give them the best chance to make a late-season run.
“Honestly, losing our biggest defense is tough, but the guys have to step up and take on the challenge,” Davis said. “I think you have to personalize any one-on-one matchup. That’s how you’re best: take it personal.”
Hachimura had seven points on 3-for-5 shooting and four rebounds against starters, while Prince led LA’s bench scorers with 16 points on 6-for-10 shooting. Lakers coach Darwin Hamm is one of the 15 starting lineups he’s used this season and hopes to stick with it.
“I’m hoping like crazy,” Cam said. “Of those 15 exceptions, three were intentional and not intentional. [due to] Unforeseen circumstances. So, yes. That’s definitely the plan.”
LA is 3-2 on its six-game road trip and closes Monday against the Charlotte Hornets.
“We’re trying to get to where we’re playing the type of basketball we know we can,” Hamm said. “And defend at a higher and higher level.”
ESPN’s Tim Bontemps contributed to this report.