2019 LA Lakers Recap: Game 39

By: Brandon Rosenthal | Jan 5, 2019

Welcome into Lakers Recap, brought to you by The 30 Minute Lunchbreak! The Lakers have not been playing their best basketball as of late. Before last night’s game, the Lakers had gone 1-3 since beating the Warriors, and the sight of the New York Knicks in town was extremely welcoming (or so we all thought). The Lakers were without LeBron and Rondo for the fifth straight game, and F Kyle Kuzma did not suit up due to back issues, so KCP jumped into the starting lineup.

The game opened up with the Knicks popping a three, but Lonzo actually shot, and made a three, tying the game early on. The Knicks were aggressive early and often, and before we all knew it, the Knicks opened up a 22-5 lead over the Lakers in the first six minutes! KCP and Lonzo knocked down a three each as the Lakers tried to cut into the deficit. After a Josh Hart and-one, and a Lonzo runner, the Lakers trailed by 8, but the Knicks made a late run to close the quarter and led 39-25 after one. Yikes. In the second, Michael Beasley made an appearance for the Lakers, scoring 7 points in the quarter. However, the Knicks were still able to maintain a double-digit lead midway through the 2nd. Again, Lonzo and KCP hit a three, and the Lakers trailed 50-54 with 3:10 left. The Knicks answered with a Hardway Jr three, but KCP hit a pair of free throws and a three with 32.7 seconds left, and the Lakers trailed by 6. Ingram hit a driving layup to end the quarter, but the Lakers still trailed 59-63 at the end of the first half. The Knicks looked like the hungrier team in the half, while the Lakers looked lost at times.

In the second half, the Lakers came out with better energy, and it immediately showed. While the Lakers defense was still awful, their offense started to get going. Lakers big man JaVale McGee was all over the court in the third, scoring 12 points and grabbing 4 rebounds. For the Knicks, Mudiay and Hardaway Jr kept the pace, and the Knicks led 76-68 with 7:45 left after a pair of Mudiay free throws. KCP answered for the Lakers, and the aforementioned JaVale McGee hit a nifty bank-shot, cutting into the lead. Zubac subbed in for McGee, and he continued what McGee started, scoring buckets inside on the poor Knicks defense. Lance Stephenson was the catalyst for the Lakers, dishing out 5 assists, and helping the Lakers get their first lead of the night with 3:15 left in the third. The Lakers continued to play well, leading 92-86 after three.

The fourth quarter has been an issue for the Lakers in the past few games. They are missing their closer in LeBron James, and it shows. The Knicks opened up the final frame cutting into the lead, thanks to Mario Hezonja. Super Mario scored six points in three minutes, and the Lakers only led by one, 95-94. After a Trey Burke jumper and a Hezonja free throw, the game was tied. After some back-and-forth, the Knicks took the lead 104-102 with 5:53 left, thanks to an Enes Kanter put-back. Lonzo and McGee ran a pick-and-roll to perfection, and McGee showed some fancy handwork for a layup, giving the Lakers the lead, 109-108 with 4:00 left. After a pair of free throws by the Knicks, Ingram attacked the rim but was rejected by Kanter, leading to two more Knicks free throws, and a slim lead at 112-109 with 3:28 left. The score stayed that way until Kevin Knox hit a floater in the paint with 1:40 left, extending the Knicks lead to 114-109. Lonzo popped a three after a loose ball sequence to cut the deficit back to two. On the next possession, the Knicks ran a give-and-go play, and of course, Kanter was wide open, allowing him to score, giving the Knicks a four-point lead with under a minute remaining. After a Lakers turnover with 47 seconds left, Kanter made a tip-in after a Mudiay miss, and that essentially sealed it. Lakers lose (to one of the worst teams in the NBA), 112-119. Brandon Ingram led the Lakers in scoring with 21 points (8-21 FG) while grabbing 9 rebounds.

The Lakers fall to 21-18 and 13-8 at home. The Lakers have lost 6 out of their last 11 games, and remain 8th in the Western Conference. The Knicks improve to 10-29, snapping an 8-game losing streak.

“They came out ready to play. We didn’t,” Ball said. “They got out to an early lead, and any time you do that, you got to waste a lot of energy to get back into the game. That’s not necessary if you come out ready to go.
Lonzo Ball

Box Score

Teams	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final
	39	24	23	33	119
	25	34	33	20	100

Players	MP	PTS	REB	AST	+/-
Brandon Ingram*	36:20	21	9	3	-2
Josh Hart*	33:11	6	7	4	-7
Javale McGee*	24:57	18	9	1	-14
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope*	36:09	19	6	3	-12
Lonzo Ball*	33:43	17	6	2	-17
Ivica Zubac	11:33	10	6	2	+5
Lance Stephenson	29:15	8	4	7	+4
Svi Mykhailiuk	11:25	3	0	0	+4
Tyson Chandler	11:30	4	4	0	+2
Michael Beasley	11:37	6	4	1	+2
Isaac Bonga	DNP
Moritz Wagner	DNP

* = Starter

Notes

LeBron will miss the next three games and will be re-evaluated next week. The Lakers fall to 1-4 without LeBron.
Brandon Ingram made all five of his free throws tonight. Congrats to him.
The Lakers were outscored by 13 points in the 4th quarter. The Lakers have been outscored in the fourth in four out of the last five.
The Lakers shot 75% from the free throw line, a dramatic improvement.

⬅️ Game 37