Los Angeles Lakers (39-25) beat New York Knicks (42-24) 110-97 at home on Sunday, March 8, never trailing at a quarter break.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Lakers struck first, taking the opening quarter 31-23 and a 8-point lead after one. The Knicks cut into the deficit with a 26-23 second quarter, though the Lakers still led by 5 at halftime.
The Lakers won the third 34-20 to create some separation, taking a 19-point lead into the fourth. The Knicks took the fourth 28-22; the Lakers held on for a 110-97 regulation win.
What decided it
The Lakers took better care of the ball, turning it over on 13.7% of possessions compared with 18.1% for the Knicks. The Lakers made 30.9 free throws per 100 field-goal attempts, compared with 23.2 for the Knicks. Those extra possessions were crucial.
At roughly 97 possessions per team, the Lakers produced 113.1 points per 100 possessions to 99.8 for the Knicks.
Who made the difference
Austin Reaves was the game's biggest individual force for LAL: 25 pts, 4 reb, 5 ast, 3 stl on 8-16 shooting. His Game Score of 23.2 led everyone. His team was +5 with him on the floor.
Karl-Anthony Towns led the Knicks with 25 pts, 16 reb, 2 ast on 8-17 shooting, good for a 21 Game Score.
Karl-Anthony Towns (25 pts, 16 reb, 2 ast) recorded a double-double.
What it means
The pre-game Win Meter had it close to a coin flip, at about 43% for the Lakers.
Across the last 3 meetings in our records, Los Angeles Lakers lead 2-1.
The Lakers are now 39-25, and the Knicks are 42-24. The Lakers last five before this game: W-W-W-L-W.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.