The Lakers pulled out a decidedly difficult win to start off what will prove to be the toughest part of their schedule on Thursday night at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, going to overtime to secure a 113-109 win over the Knicks, the No. 3 team in the Eastern Conference.
The win pushed the Lakers' winning streak to eight and was the toughest of that group of Ws. Coming into the game, the Lakers had outscored opponents by an average of 115-103. The team's defense has been stellar, too, ranked the best in the NBA since acquiring Luka Doncic at the All-Star break.
Doncic had 32 points in the win and LeBron James had 31. The Knicks led by as many as 10 points almost midway through the fourth quarter before a Lakers rally brought the game to overtime, where the Lakers sealed the win.
As much excitement as the result generated, though, it was something that happened on the sidelines in L.A. that may have caught the most attention. That's because video showed what was a heated confrontation between ESPN star talker Stephen A. Smith and James.
I didn't want to have to address this. I wouldn't have, either, had it not gone viral. Now I have no choice. @FirstTake first at 10am EST. Then….The Stephen A. Smith Show on YouTube! Some things just have to be said. https://t.co/QUxWuKRQVJ
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) March 7, 2025
Smith did not get specific in addressing the issue on social media -- but said he will in the coming hours.
"I didn't want to have to address this. I wouldn't have, either, had it not gone viral. Now I have no choice. @FirstTake first at 10am EST. Then….The Stephen A. Smith Show on YouTube! Some things just have to be said," Smith wrote on Twitter/X.
In the original tweet showing the confrontation, it was speculated that Smith was being told by James to not mention his son, Lakers rookie Bronny James. LeBron and Smith have often traded barbs on social media and in the traditional media, but this was different--it was in person.
Back in January, Smith was critical of Bronny James having a roster spot and getting playing time with the Lakers.
"I'm really, really trying to be as respectful as I possibly can be toward LeBron James, one of the top two or three players in the history of basketball," Smith said on the ESPN show "First Take" at the time. "I am pleading with LeBron James, as a father. Stop this. Stop this. We all know that Bronny James is in the NBA because of his dad."
Bronny James has averaged 1.4 points on 25.8% shooting in 18 games this season.
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This story was originally published March 7, 2025 at 8:19 AM.