Porzingis, Beasley Help Knicks Top Lakers In Overtime
NEW YORK (AP) — Kristaps Porzingis had 37 points and 11 rebounds, Michael Beasley made the biggest plays in overtime, and the New York Knicks beat the Los Angeles Lakers 113-109 on Tuesday night.
Beasley had 13 points, including the tiebreaking follow shot, and an assist in the extra period as the Knicks went back over .500 at 14-13. Thirteen of their victories have come at Madison Square Garden.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 24 points for the Lakers, who had won two in a row on their trip. Rookie Kyle Kuzma added 19 points off the bench.
Lonzo Ball had 17 points, eight rebounds and six assists, with a dazzling third-quarter stretch that had father LaVar celebrating wildly from his courtside seat next to Lithuania-bound sons LiAngelo and LaMelo. But Lonzo was quiet after that period beyond two free throws early in OT.
The Knicks essentially won it with Beasley's flurry of a tip-in, a pass inside to Doug McDermott for a basket, and a driving layup that turned at 103-all game into a 109-103 lead with 1:24 remaining in the overtime.
Ball went high to slam down a lob pass from Caldwell-Pope, nailed a 3-pointer, drove for a layup, and then fed Brook Lopez for a 3-pointer in the third quarter. But the Knicks kept scoring right with the Lakers, and the game was tied until Brandon Ingram ended his 0-for-10 start with a three-point play with 40 seconds left that made it 79-76 heading to the fourth.
The Knicks were in good shape when Porzingis' basket made it 99-94 with 1:29 remaining in regulation and Ball threw away a pass. But Caldwell-Pope tipped in a miss and Kuzma made a 3-pointer to tie it with 23.9 seconds to go, before Porzingis missed a 3 at the buzzer.
TIP-INS
Lakers: Ingram finished with five points on 2-for-12 shooting. He entered as the Lakers' leading scorer and averaged 19.2 points in the previous 11 games, scoring in double digits in all of them.
Knicks: Former Knicks forward Amare Stoudemire was at the game and led a countdown to the lighting of a menorah on the overhead videoboard to celebrate the start of Hanukkah. It was the seventh anniversary of Stoudemire setting a franchise record with his eighth straight 30-point game.
LUKE ON JACKSON
Luke Walton, who played for Phil Jackson with the Lakers, said he still talks to his former coach. He was asked his feelings about Jackson's departure in June after three seasons as Knicks president.
"I don't know all the details on what was going on here," Walton said. "Obviously a mentor to me like that, someone that means as much to me as Phil does, I'm not in favor of it happening. But again, I'm coaching on the West Coast and I'm not around out here to see everything and how and why everything played out the way it did."
ROUGH ROAD
The Lakers are about to enter one of the toughest stretches of the season for an NBA team. They visit LeBron James and Cleveland on Thursday, return home to host the defending champion Warriors on Monday, welcome NBA-leading Houston on Dec. 20, and visit Golden State on Dec. 22.
UP NEXT
Lakers: Visit Cleveland on Thursday.
Knicks: Visit Brooklyn on Thursday.
