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Riding a season-high seven-game win streak, their longest in four years, the Los Angeles Lakers are the hottest team in the Western Conference. They’ve shot up to second place in the standings, and the Luka Donic-LeBron James duo becomes more and more lethal by the outing.
Los Angeles hosts the New York Knicks tomorrow at 10 PM ET on TNT. New York has won 3-of-4 and is solidly planted at third in the Eastern Conference. The Lakers have won 17-of-20, and New York has won 13-of-18. Los Angeles is 24-7 at home, and the Knicks are 19-10 on the road. Both marks are near the top of the league.
This is the second of two matchups between the two teams this season. The Lakers took the first contest last month, 128-112. James had a triple-double with 33 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds, while Austin Reaves added 27 points and Rui Hachimura recorded 21 points for the Lakers. Jalen Brunson had a triple-double for New York, going for 26 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists, while Precious Achiuwa contributed 15 points and 15 rebounds.
Let’s review each team’s recent performance while previewing this matchup and making a Knicks @ Lakers pick.
The Knicks are three games behind the Boston Celtics in the Atlantic Division. Tom Thibodeau has guided New York to the playoffs three times in four years.
Brunson, coming off his second straight All-Star game selection for the Knicks after coming over from the Dallas Mavericks, leads the team with 26.1 points a game. He had 25 points and 7 assists in last night’s 114-102 loss to the surging Golden State Warriors at home. OG Anunoby scored a team-high 29 points for New York, while Achiuwa grabbed 15 boards. Karl-Anthony Towns, a five-time All-Star, is averaging 24.5 points, and his 13.4 rebounds per contest are second in the NBA. He missed last night’s game for personal reasons, and it is not yet known if he will return for the Lakers contest.
Brunson had 34 points and seven assists in a 110-105 win over the Philadelphia 76ers a week ago; 23 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists in a tight, 114-113 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies Friday night, and 31 points in a 116-112 overtime triumph over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday. He led the team in scoring each game.
Anunoby, who is fourth on the team in scoring, is averaging nearly 22 points over the Knicks’ last four games. Mikal Bridges averages 17.4 points a game, including 28 points in the win over the 76ers and 15 in last night’s loss to Golden State.
It took a few games for Doncic to shake off the rust after being sidelined more than a month after suffering a leg injury on Christmas Day while still with the Dallas Mavericks. He averaged less than 15 points a game in his first three contests in a Lakers uniform but has since taken off. Doncic is averaging 27 points in Los Angeles’ last six games, all wins. The team is 11-2 since it acquired him, and 7-2 when Doncic is playing.
He had 30 points, 15 assists and 8 rebounds last night as the Lakers defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 136-115. Doncic went for 29 and 31 in two wins over the Los Angeles Clippers over the weekend. He had a triple-double (19 points, 15 rebounds and 12 assists) in a 107-99 win over the Mavericks in his first appearance against his former team. He also had 32 points and 10 rebounds in a dominating 123-110 win over the Denver Nuggets.
Meanwhile, James shows no signs of slowing down in his Age-40 season. He had 34 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists last night, 17 points and 9 assists in the team’s 106-102 victory over the Clippers on Sunday, and 28 points and 13 rebounds in a 108-102 win over them Friday. He’s averaging more than 29 points a game during this seven-game win streak. Los Angeles has won all five games of this homestand and looks to complete a clean run at Crypto.com Aena against the Knicks.
Six players scored in double figures in last night’s win over the Pelicans, including Jaxon Hayes, who scored a season-high 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Reaves, who is adding 19.1 points and 6 assists for the Lakers, and Hachimura, who is chipping in with 13.3 points and 5.2 rebounds, both missed the New Orleans contest.
The Lakers have been a solid defensive team all season long, as they allow 111.2 points a game (9th in the NBA). But on this winning streak, Los Angeles has stepped it up a notch, surrendering just 103.1 points while averaging 114.4 points on offense.
They’ll be tested by the Knicks high-octane offense, which is giving up just 117.4 points per game (5th in the NBA). However, the Lakers held New York to 112 points in their 16-point victory just over a month ago. The team has been nearly unbeatable at Crypto.com Arena, going 12-1 in its last 13 home games.
Doncic should continue his hot recent form as the Lakers look to stay hot. He should score 26+ points in the game.
Brian has been writing about sports professionally for 25 years, specializing in the NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, men's college basketball and football, and soccer. He covered high school, collegiate and professional sports in the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area for two decades. His written work has appeared in several print and online publications since 1999.