Lakers’ Uneven Ways Wobble On In Loss To Knicks

November 23, 2021

Another game on the road, this time again without LeBron James, and another loss for the Lakers.

This one came courtesy of a 106-100 defeat to the Knicks, who took a big lead, took advantage of James’ absence and took care of business after LA rallied.

So we can all probably agree, LeBron or not, the Lakers (9-10) are off to a less-than-stellar start. And let us not forgot, they’ve still played more games than anybody at home.

As for their current swing through the East, they’re now 1-3, with one more to go (Wednesday at Indiana).

In this particular game, Anthony Davis did his best to fight through through the flu, finishing with 20 points and six rebounds. And Russell Westbrook did his best to bring the Lakers back from a 24-point deficit, with 31 points, 13 boards and 10 assists.

You could make a strong case that this was Westbrook’s best game as a Laker. After all, everything else has teetered on average to bad.

Of course, it didn’t help that James missed another game. On the bright side, his one-game suspension for the dustup involving Pistons forward/center Isaiah Stewart gave him a chance to rest. On the brighter side, James is expected to play against the Pacers.

“I don’t think anyone thought he would be suspended, to be honest,” Davis told reporters afterward. “It was an accident. He accidentally hit (Stewart) in the face.”

Avery Bradley added 15 points and nine rebounds for the Lakers, and Carmelo Anthony scored 12 in his return to Madison Square Garden, where he once dominated as a member of the Knicks.

Anthony, however, finished just 3-of-14 shooting in one of his worst showings in an otherwise inspirational season. But that wasn’t as tough a night as the one had by Talen Horton-Tucker, who missed all eight of his shots to finish with zero points.

Evan Fournier led the Knicks (10-8) with 26 points, and ex-Laker Julius Randle added 20 points and a game-high 16 rebounds.

The Knicks finished 15-of-34 on 3-pointers, compared to 11-of-36 for the Lakers, who especially struggled from behind the arc in the crucial fourth quarter.