After beating the Packers on Thursday, the Knicks will look to end their winning streak Saturday night when they host the Lakers at Madison Square Garden.
The Lakers are coming off Thursday’s 114-105 road win over the Celtics as 15.5-point underdogs, their biggest upset of the season.
It was impressive because LeBron James (ankle) and Anthony Davis (Achilles, hip) were late scratches, but the Lakers played a free-flowing offensive style without their stars.
Guards Austin Reaves (32 points) and D’Angelo Russell (16-8-14) led the offensive attack, while Jared Vanderbilt and Jackson Hayes used their length and athleticism to disrupt Boston’s lethal offense.
With an extra break between three games in four nights, Los Angeles hopes to have James and Davis back on Saturday.
In mid-December, the Knicks beat the Lakers in LA, 114-109, as five-point underdogs.
James and Davis combined for 57 points in the loss, while Julius Randle scored 27 for the Knicks.
The Knicks are just like the Lakers, though not as much.
With Randle (shoulder) sidelined, OG Anunoby (elbow) has missed the Knicks’ last three games, and Quentin Grimes (knee) has sat out the Pacers.
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Wood Achiwa, Donte DiVincenzo and Josh Hart have filled in nicely, with DiVincenzo averaging 27 points over the last three games.
Coming off a 40-point performance, Jalen Brunson looked like an MVP candidate, averaging 31 points during the Knicks’ 14-2 run since the start of the new year.
Assuming the Lakers get James and Davis back, Los Angeles should be able to stay within two points of a bottom-up Knicks team.
The game: Lakers +5.5 (-110, FanDuel).