Knicks Make It 2 In A Row With Win Over Lakers

By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

Sunday, January 26^th, 2014

Los Angeles Lakers vs. New York Knicks

Post Game Recap

The Knicks were able to build off their strong performance Friday night with another strong offensive performance Sunday night to get the victory over the Lakers 110-103. There was not much defense in the game but the Knicks were able to get stops when they needed them and were able to control the pace at times when the Lakers were trying to get the run’n’gun game going. It was not the best of overall performances for the Knicks but they got the win, which in the end is the most important thing. With the win the Knicks have won two in a row and will look to continue the winning streak Tuesday night against the Boston Celtics.

Player of the Game: Tim Hardaway Jr.

Madison Square Garden has been eerily quiet at times throughout the season and today was no different throughout most of the first half. The crowd got going once Hardaway Jr. came into the game as he provided a spark and some energy to wake everyone up. Hardaway Jr. lit the scoreboard up, pouring in 18 points on 7-12 from the field, including a scorching 4-5 from three point land. Hardaway also grabbed four rebounds and is gaining the confidence of Mike Woodson, as he, not Iman Shumpert, finished the game out this afternoon alongside Carmelo Anthony, Raymond Felton, Tyson Chandler and J.R. Smith. Hardaway Jr. fills up the point column but the player he guards more than not does also. As long as he continues working on his defense Hardaway Jr. will find himself in the game at crunch time more often because of the scoring punch he adds to the lineup.

Match-Up of the Game Recap:

Seth Wenig/AP Photo

Both Chandler and Pau Gasol had solid games this afternoon, as both players went for double-doubles; Chandler finished with 13 points and 14 rebounds, Gasol with 20 points and 13 rebounds. The two of them were matched up with each other throughout the game and early on Gasol was giving Chandler some fits, getting him in early foul trouble in the first quarter. As the game waned Chandler was able to enforce his will on Gasol as he started making things more difficult and Gasol was unable to truly get into the flow of the game. Both players played strong, but in the end Chandler gets the edge because it was his team that came out on top.

-Positives

Anthony did not score 62 points, but he still had a big scoring night, putting in 35 points on 14-31 shooting from the field. Anthony only had four rebounds, but he tied for the game high in assists with five tonight, as his teammates picked up him and knocked down shots when given the opportunity. Anthony established himself early, scoring 10 points in the first quarter and his teammates picked it up from there as his shooting percentage dropped. It was encouraging to see Anthony make the right pass and his teammates knocking them down to help hold the Lakers off tonight.

Raymond Felton put together a second consecutive strong game after calling out his poor play. Tonight he scored 20 points on 8-10 shooting, knocking down both his three point attempts and both his free throws. Felton got into the paint at will tonight and was able to get the lob game going with Chandler on multiple occasions. Felton needs to continue his strong play for the Knicks to truly turn things around, as poor guard play has hurt the Knicks immensely during the season.

The bench gave the Knicks a big boost in what was a pretty lax setting early on. The crowd wasn’t very into the game and the pace was slow, but when the bench came in things picked up. Hardaway Jr. was not the only player to give the Knicks a spark, as Jeremy Tyler and Cole Aldrich gave solid minutes as the bigs off the bench. The two of them combined for nine rebounds, three blocks and three points in 20 minutes. Smith provided another strong scoring output alongside Hardaway Jr., putting in 16 of his own, while grabbing six rebounds and handing out four assists.

Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke

The Knicks were able to dominate the battle on the boards tonight, outrebounding the Lakers 45-35. Every Knicks who came off the bench grabbed at least four, in addition to the three in the starting lineup as the Knicks gang rebounded successfully tonight against an undersized Lakers squad. The Knicks also became more aggressive as the game went on, finishing tied at 38 points in the paint after settling early on for jump shots.

-Negatives

It sounds like a broken record but the Knicks perimeter defense was beyond bad once again. The Lakers feasted from the three-point line, shooting 11-23 from deep on the afternoon. Jodie Meeks scored 24 points on 8-13 shooting and journeyman Manny Harris justified his second 10-day contract with the Lakers by pouring in 18 off the bench, most of which came against fellow Michigan Wolverine Hardaway Jr.

The Knicks need to find a way to get more out of Pablo Prigioni and Iman Shumpert. When you start two players that combined for only five points in 49 minutes you make things much more difficult on your teammates. Both players do other things while on the court but adding a little more scoring punch from the second guard and wing spot would go a long way in the helping the Knicks.