NEW YORK — There’s no way to prove whether the Lakers’ last-minute uniform switch affected the outcome of Saturday night’s marquee matchup against the New York Knicks.
But it certainly didn’t hurt.
Dawning their “Statement Edition” jerseys instead of their “City Edition” jerseys as originally planned, the Lakers had one of their best shooting games of the season in a 128-112 victory over the Knicks at Madison Square Garden, a result that was quickly overshadowed by news that Luka Doncic is headed to the Lakers in a blockbuster three-team trade that will send Anthony Davis to Dallas.
LeBron James led the way with 33 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists, setting the tone for the Lakers’ offensive performance with a fadeaway jumper and back-to-back turnaround jumpers late in the first quarter that helped give the Lakers an early advantage on their way to the fourth win of their five-game Grammy trip.
James’ triple-double was the 122nd of his career and his 10th of the season, the second-most among all players in 2024-25 behind Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokić.
The Lakers (28-19) made 19 of their 40 3-point attempts for the second-most 3-pointers they’ve made in a game this season, just one short of the 20 they had in a Nov. 13 home win against Memphis. The result, especially given the absence of Davis (nursing an abdominal strain), was among the most impressive of the season for the Lakers and snapped a five-game winning streak for the Knicks (32-17).
Austin Reaves finished with 27 points, six assists, five rebounds and three steals, and was an integral part of a pick-and-roll/pick-and-pop attack that took advantage of Karl-Anthony Towns struggling to contain the Lakers’ offense in coverage.
Rui Hachimura, who made an early pair of corner 3-pointers, finished with 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting.
Max Christie and Dorian Finney-Smith each scored 15 points.
Finney-Smith (five), Reaves (four), James (three), Hachimura (three) and Gabe Vincent (three) all made multiple shots from 3-point range on a night when the Lakers’ ball movement and defensive discipline were consistently strong.
Vincent finished with nine points after missing the Lakers’ previous three games because of a bruised left knee.
The Lakers held the Knicks’ All-Star duo of Towns (11 points, six rebounds, three assists) and Jalen Brunson (17 points, seven assists) well below their 50-point combined average on 10-of-30 shooting.
Josh Hart had 26 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists in his seventh triple-double of the season for the Knicks. Mikal Bridges had 16 points. The Knicks’ OG Anunoby limped off with a sprained right foot in the third quarter after scoring 13 points.
NOTES
James improved to 23-8 at what he says is his favorite arena to visit, easily surpassing the 28 points per game he had been averaging in the building. He also became the seventh NBA player with at least 2,500 3-pointers.