The New York Knicks spoiled what might have been LeBron James’s last game at Madison Square Garden, stretching their win streak to six games with a 112-100 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.
OG Anunoby scored 25 points and reserve Landry Shamet added 23 to lead the Knicks.
Four-time NBA Most Valuable Player James, a 41-year-old Lakers star, remains uncommitted beyond this season, his NBA-record 23rd. But he says playing at the Garden has meant “everything” to him.
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“It’s the Mecca of basketball in New York. It’s the Big Apple. Being at MSG, so many guys have walked this court, basketball, entertainment, actors, musicians, everything. It has been a wide range of America, the people, to grace this floor,” James said.
“I hope I’m like a small snippet of somebody that came through here and was able to make a little small dent from a visitor’s perspective. It’s always cool in here. I’ve always loved these fans.”
While not saying it was his Garden farewell, James noted: “When the time comes it will always have a special place.”
Josh Hart added 20 points for the Knicks while All-Star guard Jalen Brunson had 12 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists.
“We’ve just been playing together,” Brunson said of their win streak. “Sticking together, that’s the biggest part, having each other’s back holding each other accountable.
“We have to continue to do that. Can’t be satisfied. It’s a collective effort.”
The Knicks improved to 31-18, second in the Eastern Conference behind Detroit. The Lakers fell to 29-19 despite 30 points from Luka Doncic and 22 from James, who was named to his record 22nd NBA All-Star Game as a reserve by NBA coaches.
SUPERSTAR’S CHEEKY EXCHANGE
Doncic appeared to have a parting gift for Brunson before the pair of former Mavericks teammates walked off the Garden court
As Knicks and Lakers players embraced following the Knicks’ 112-100 victory, Doncic flashed his middle finger after the star point guard finished another post-game exchange and walked over.
Doncic appeared to be joking with the gesture, as Brunson appeared to crack a smile as he got closer.
Luka Doncic gives Jalen Brunson the bird | 00:35
The pair overlapped at Dallas for four seasons before the Mavericks allowed Brunson to walk in free agency and sign with the Knicks, where he has since become their captain and one of the league’s best players.
That left Doncic as the cornerstone in Dallas for the next two-plus seasons, until the Mavericks stunningly sent him to the Lakers last season.
“Definitely weird,” Brunson told reporters postgame when asked about seeing Doncic in a Lakers jersey. “I think we all expected him to be in Dallas for the longest time. But yeah now he’s a Laker and he’s playing great and still doing the things he does.”
— with New York Post
SPURS, OKC WIN
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 34 points and added 13 assists while Cason Wallace had a career-high 27 points with seven three-pointers as reigning champions Oklahoma City won 121-111 at Denver.
“We knew we were going to have to bring it in this building if we wanted to get a W,” Gilgeous-Alexander said.
French star Victor Wembanyama delivered 25 points, eight rebounds, five blocked shots, four steals and two assists to ignite San Antonio’s 112-103 home triumph over Orlando.
The game was pushed back to a night contest after the Spurs (33-16) had trouble flying out of snowstorm-hit Charlotte.
Cleveland’s Jarrett Allen scored 40 points and grabbed 17 rebounds as the Cavaliers won 130-111 at Portland.
Detroit claimed the most lopsided victory in team history as Jalen Duren scored 21 points while Cade Cunningham had 18 points and 12 assists in a 130-77 rout of visiting Brooklyn.
“It’s not just that you don’t play consistently hard: It’s that you quit. And we cannot allow that,” Nets coach Jordi Fernández said.
“So, it starts with me; gotta create habits … So obviously this one hurts. Got to help them be better.”
The 53-point shellacking comes after other big recent losses to the Knicks (-54 points) and Clippers (-37).
“Man, we just got to learn from it,” said Nic Claxton, who had 10 points in the first quarter, and was scoreless after that. “We just can’t keep getting beat by 50, though. It’s really demoralising as a group for us. We got to come together and figure out ways to at least keep the games closer.”
Swedish guard Pelle Larsson and Bam Adebayo each scored 20 points as host Miami ripped Chicago 134-91, the third-biggest rout in Heat history.
Jaylen Brown had 30 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Boston Celtics over Milwaukee 107-79.
RJ Barrett scored 21 points and Brandon Ingram added 19 for Toronto in a 107-100 home victory over Utah. Finland’s Lauri Markkanen led the Jazz with 27 points.
Washington rookie Will Riley scored 18 points off the bench to lead the host Wizards over Sacramento 116-112, stretching the Kings’ losing streak to six games.
Kawhi Leonard scored 20 points and Ivica Zubac had 14 points and 20 rebounds to spark the Los Angeles Clippers to a 117-93 triumph at Phoenix.
— AFP
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