NBA: Lakers hold off Knicks for wire-to-wire win

Luka Doncic scored 35 points as the Los Angeles Lakers overcame shaky moments in the fourth quarter, with LeBron James sitting out, to secure a 110-97 victory over the visiting New York Knicks on Sunday.

James missed the game due to a bruised left elbow he sustained in Thursday’s loss to the Denver Nuggets after contact with Nikola Jokic. The Lakers also cited left foot arthritis as a factor keeping the 41-year-old star sidelined. Combined with Friday’s win over the Indiana Pacers, this marked the first time James had missed consecutive games this season, the last being the first 14 games when he dealt with sciatica in his back and leg.

Without James, Doncic carried the offense, scoring 14 points in the third quarter as the Lakers outscored the Knicks 34-20. He shot 11-for-25 overall and made two 3-pointers during a 20-8 run in the final seven-plus minutes of the third, extending Los Angeles’ lead from 68-61 to 88-69 entering the fourth quarter.

The Lakers struggled for most of the fourth quarter, missing 10 straight shots, until Doncic banked in a layup for a 104-91 lead with 2:34 remaining and later capped the scoring with another 3-pointer with 65 seconds left.

Austin Reaves added 25 points and made two key defensive plays against Jalen Brunson in the closing minutes. Rui Hachimura, starting in place of James, contributed 13 points, while reserve Luke Kennard added 12. The Lakers shot 43.2% overall, including 7-for-24 in the fourth quarter.

For the Knicks, Karl-Anthony Towns led with 25 points and 16 rebounds, including 11 points in the fourth quarter. Brunson added 24 points, six rebounds, and seven assists, but struggled with his shooting, making only 8 of 19 field goals and committing seven of New York’s 19 turnovers. The Knicks finished 42.7% from the field and 8 of 34 from three-point range, a sharp drop from their 18 three-pointers in a 12-point home win over the Lakers on February 1.

Doncic set the tone early with 12 points in the first quarter, helping the Lakers take a 31-23 lead after Kennard sank a corner 3 with 13.9 seconds left. With Brunson resting, Los Angeles extended the lead to 45-33 on a 3-pointer by Jarred Vanderbilt with 7:32 remaining in the half.

After missing nine consecutive shots, the Lakers regained momentum when Reaves beat the buzzer with an off-balance five-footer to give Los Angeles a 54-49 lead at halftime. The Lakers then used a 12-2 run to push the lead to 68-56 on a 3-pointer by Reaves with 8:18 left in the third quarter. Despite the Knicks cutting the lead to seven briefly, the Lakers responded to secure a comfortable win.

-Field Level Media/Reuters