Luka Doncic #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers
Getty
Luka Doncic #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers
The New York Knicks lost to the Los Angeles Lakers 110-97 on Sunday afternoon at Crypto.com Arena. The offense never found rhythm. The defense struggled to contain. The effort was lacking.
The Knicks shot poorly from three-point range, making just 8 of 34 attempts. They committed 18 turnovers, and fouled carelessly throughout the game. With the loss, New York fell to 41-24 on the season.
After the game, one Lakers star had something honest to say about the Knicks’ point guard.
Luka’s Honest Quote About Brunson
Luka Doncic did not hesitate when asked about Jalen Brunson after the win.
“That’s my guy man,” Doncic said. “We came into the league together. All the respect, all the love in the world for him, we have a great relationship.”
The mutual respect runs deep. Doncic and Brunson were teammates in Dallas before Brunson left for New York in free agency. They entered the NBA together. They built chemistry together. Now they compete against each other, but the bond remains.
During the game, Doncic trolled Brunson. He baited him into a foul on a drive to the basket and immediately laughed about it. The competitive edge was on full display. But after the final buzzer, the respect took over.
They want to beat each other on the court. They will compete hard. But the foundation of mutual respect never wavers.
New York Basketball
“That’s my guy man. We came into the league together. All the respect, all the love in the world for him, we have a great relationship”
–– Luka Doncic on Jalen Brunson
How the Lakers Beat the Knicks
LeBron James missed his second straight game with a left elbow contusion and left foot arthritis. The Lakers did not need him. Doncic took over, finishing with 35 points and 8 assists on the night. Austin Reaves added 25 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds of his own.
After the game, Reaves summed up the difference between the two teams on the night.
“We played harder than them,” Reaves said.
Lakers head coach JJ Redick praised his team’s defensive game plan against Brunson, who finished with 24 points but committed 7 turnovers for the game.
“We mixed up defenses,” Redick said. “You can’t give him same stuff. Some in coverage, zone, switching…normal flood on baseline vs star players…Outside of broken play 3 & going for shot fake / him drawing fouls, I thought we did a fantastic job on him.”
Brunson went 8-of-19 from the field. The Lakers made him work for everything.
Karl-Anthony Towns led the Knicks with 25 points and 16 rebounds. OG Anunoby chipped in 13 points. Landry Shamet added 10 off the bench. Mikal Bridges had a rough performance. Zero points in 27 minutes. He only took six shots but was plagued by foul trouble throughout.
Mike Brown’s Frustration on the Night
Knicks head coach Mike Brown was frustrated after the loss.
“We didn’t give ourselves much of a chance to win this ballgame, at any point, and that’s what’s frustrating,” Brown said.
Brown pointed to the things his team failed to control. The lazy fouling. The lazy rebounding. The careless turnovers. All of it added up to a performance that fell short of expectations.
“That’s a recipe to getting your behind kicked,” Brown said. “Especially on the road. If you’re going to get beat on the glass without boxing out, which we did. If you’re going to reach because you can’t contain the basketball, and then having 18 turnovers… that’s a recipe for disaster on the road no matter who you’re playing.”
Mike Brown, Knicks
GettyHead coach Mike Brown of the New York Knicks in action from the bench.
Final Word for the Knicks
Luka Doncic and Jalen Brunson played alongside each other in Dallas. They built chemistry and trust as teammates. Now they face each other as opponents. The competition is real. The desire to win is real. But so is the respect.
Doncic dominated on Sunday. The Lakers outplayed the Knicks in a tough loss. But after the final buzzer, Doncic made sure to acknowledge the player he once called a teammate.
The Knicks have 17 games left in the regular season. They have a chance to bounce back quickly, on the road against the Los Angeles Clippers.