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Lakers’ suffocating defense stifles red-hot Knicks, setting blueprint for potential second-half run
Forget the hourglass emojis. Forget the cryptic responses about LeBron James’ future in a Los Angeles Lakers uniform. Forget the trade deadline.
In Saturday night’s 113-105 win over the New York Knicks in a national TV showcase at Madison Square Garden, the Lakers dismissed all the nonsense and got back to basics. And for the Lakers, that means playing defense.
Darvin Ham’s squad entered Saturday’s game ranked 15th in the league in defensive efficiency — the very definition of mediocrity. With an offense that, even at its best, will struggle from night to night, it’s essential that the Lakers play elite defense to give themselves a chance to win. In the fourth quarter of Saturday night’s game, the Knicks — who had won nine straight — got a taste of exactly what it looks like when the Lakers are locked in on that end of the floor.
After entering the final frame trailing 86-82, the Lakers quickly roared back to tie things up at 96-96 with just over seven minutes remaining. That’s when L.A. ratcheted up the defensive intensity, holding the Knicks scoreless until less than a minute remained and the game was already in the Lakers’ hands. They were also able to do this without Jarred Vanderbilt, their best defender not named Anthony Davis, which required communication and cohesion.
