The latest craze of LeBron James and Luka Doncic
Victory with a comeback in overtime for the Los Angeles Lakers against the New York Knicks: something big is coming
Los Angeles Lakers faced perhaps their toughest test since the arrival of Luka Doncic to the franchise on Thursday night. And they passed it successfully.
Against a New York Knicks team with a record of 40-21 and third in the Eastern Conference, the Angelinos rallied from a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter to take the game into overtime and ultimately prevail 113-109. With this win, the team achieved their eighth consecutive victory.
Doncic led the way with 32 points on 9 of 23 shooting, in addition to contributing 12 assists, seven rebounds, and four steals. LeBron James also had a standout performance with 31 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists. Since Dončić's arrival, the Lakers have an impressive record of 12-2.
The overtime, however, lost intensity in the last minute when Jalen Brunson suffered an ankle sprain after landing on Austin Reaves' foot during an offensive play. The replay showed his foot landing awkwardly, leading the referees to call a foul against Reaves.
Brunson, visibly in pain on the floor, stayed in the game long enough to shoot the free throws that tied the score before heading to the locker room. He did not return to the game and finished the night with 39 points and 10 assists.
The final minutes of the fourth quarter were also an intense battle. Trailing for most of the third quarter and a good part of the final quarter, the Lakers closed in with a 10-1 run and started exchanging baskets with the Knicks.
A three-pointer by Gabe Vincent, following an assist from LeBron James and a controversial referee decision that did not call an offensive charge, gave the Lakers their first lead since the second quarter.
The Knicks reacted immediately. Brunson made a three-point play to tie the game with 46 seconds left, and solid defenses on both ends of the court sent the game into overtime. In the last play of regulation time, the Knicks had the opportunity to win, but the tough defense of the Lakers forced Brunson to pass the ball to Josh Hart, who failed to shoot before the buzzer.
If this game was a litmus test, the revamped Lakers proved they are ready. With this triumph, they improved their record to 40-21, solidifying their second place in the Western Conference with 21 games remaining in the regular season.
This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, La última locura de LeBron James y Luka Doncic
