NBA LIVE! Lakers vs Knicks | September 17, 2025 | Los Angeles Lakers vs New York Knicks NBA 2K26
one-on-one, but I think the key is to keep their teammates involved, playing unselfish basketball. So, let’s take a look at the Los Angeles Lakers starting lineup. Reeves at the two with LeBron at the three. DeAndre Aiden is out there with Ruachimura and it’s Donuchin at the point guard position. Hits a three-pointer. Encouraging to see Donic sink the three. Needs to keep doing this now. Brunson passes to Hart. Basket is good off the assist from Brunson. This is just fun. These teams are trading threes back and forth. This is today’s NBA and we see this kind of exchange more often than not. Nice shot by Reeves. No good. All right, let’s get a report from Alli. Tom Tibido gave me a few minutes to catch up with him. He spoke about LeBron James’ ability to completely control the game. They want to set the pace for themselves and make LeBron and his guys play catchup. Coach said we have to play our branded basketball and not worry about who’s on the other side. Play our game, set the pace, and we should be all right. Back to you, VA. Okay, thank you, Ally. And the defense was right on him there. Nice contest. James passes to Donic. Lick with the rebound. I thought he had that all sewn up, but somehow the defense just threw him off. Pass to Towns. Here’s Hart. [Music] kicks it out. Towns the three ball. Count it. One for one to start the game. And that’s what makes Towns so dangerous offensively. He’s a threat even when he’s playing off the ball. Now here’s Donic. Brunson defending and it’s Donic missing. And no matter what the chatter is out there, all Big Cat does is produce on a nightly basis. And that one falls for Towns. Offensively, Carl Anthony Towns is one of the most well-rounded big men in the league, Grant. Yeah, maybe in league history. BA, he’s an elite three-point shooter, postcore, and his passing is severely underrated. And so, Towns nails them both. It’s always nice to see a big fella be able to knock down some free throws and make teams pay from the line. Donic passes to Aiden. Back to Donic. And here’s James. Pass to Aiden. Now Reeves. Six on the shot clock. Here’s James. Laid it in with a nice touch off the window. Making the D look helpless. James is just locked in once he gets this close. [Music] [Applause] Donic against Brunson. Aton with the block. And here’s Reeves. Donic outside. Goes up from the top of the key. Jaylen Brunson grabs a miss. And we’re about 3 minutes into this first quarter. Driving to the basket after missing his first attempt. Now one for two, knifing to the rim with ease. Grunts and attacks these open lanes with tenacity. And we’ve got a timeout called by JJ Reick. We might see him looking to make some tweaks to the strategy here. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat up here. [Music] down low. Oh, got a piece of it. Here’s Aiden and a good offensive board and he gets the bucket. And this is where Aiden’s comfortable operating using his height and array of inside moves to his advantage. Bridges outside. Brunson passes to Hart. Brunson against Donic outside. Hart down to five on the shot clock. Another one falls for New York. pick works well there, but the defense left a lot to be desired. Yeah, that just comes down to a lack of effort. The defender has to do a better job fighting through the screen. Now, here is James and a miss there on the triple. Donic against Hart. Pass to Bridges and stolen by Reeves with the floater. Doesn’t go for him. Hard with a defensive effort and the Knicks with possession. They’re on a 12 to4 run. Bridges outside. [Applause] Bridges with it. Picked up by Reed. Bridges misses. Lakers trail by five. to the paint and with the stuff with his length. Aton can easily get to the rim. In fact, he almost makes it look too easy. Brunson surveys [Applause] All right, up top. Shot clock at six and Bridges. Here we go. The shot no good. Los Angeles has gone one for three from beyond the arc. Well, Grant, one thing about this Knicks team, they have a clear identity. Yeah, they have the mentality of their city, New York City, playing the game with passion and in yourface attitude. And of course, these Knicks leave it all out on the floor. Now here’s Anobi still without a bucket. Art passes to Bridges. It’s held in by Luca Donuch. And Donic has got the ball here for the Los Angeles Lakers. It’s a three-point game. Shot is up. James can’t get it to go. New York has gone two of two at the perimeter. Art passes to Anobi and the Knicks miss again. Lakers trail by three. They’ve been having major problems offensively. Definitely in a bit of a dry spell. Uses the glass to finish the layup. Attacking in the painted area. Clearly that was their game plan coming in. The Knicks have gone four of 10 shooting the rock in this first quarter. And timeout is called by Tom Thibido. He’s going to talk it over with his guys. Adjustments are a part of every game and every quarter of a game. I think coach sees something here. Yeah, this is a good opportunity to get your group together and make sure everyone is on the same page. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. And the Knicks making a change here. Robinson’s checked in and the Lakers also making a change. Vanderbilts checked in for Aimura. [Music] Art passes to Robinson outside Brunson. High arcing shot. James with the block. A versatile, talented defender. LeBron excels at using his athleticism and length to block so many shots. Hard with it now. Donic defending. Hard against Donic. Hard passes to Towns. Now Bridges. Six to shoot. Just stop the crowd and the officials whistle a foul on the shot. The bucket is good and he’ll go to the line. The agility of Bridges working around the impact of the foul to get his shot. First trip to the free throw line for him tonight. And the Lakers making a change here. Smarts checked in. [Applause] What’s up [Music] And Male Bridges still one of the better wing defenders in the league. Brett, yeah, he’s so great at pestering a shooter. Good lateral movement and wingspan makes him hard to get around. He might not be the best in the league, but he is well above average. Now here’s Smart. Pass to Donic. launches it. Mark pulls it in. This has not been his best quarter. Yeah, he needs to mix things up on the offense. He simply just can’t keep missing shots at this rate because he’s destroying his teammates. Gives us a chance to catch up with Alli Leforce. Thanks, Brian. The Knicks one of the top defensive teams in the league and it starts in the paint. Coach Thompson said, quote, “We’ve prided ourselves on having a tight shell. We’ve got great rim protection, guys who take charges and were aggressive on the ball, guys. Great defense has always been Tib. And nothing has changed now. Thanks, Ally. Now, here’s Towns. He’s got five. Robinson passes to Brunson, using his post moves to get the two points. And the Knicks lead by six. Now, he may only be 6’1, but Brunson plays much bigger than that. I mean, he plays with a physicality. Aiden finds Vanderbilt and he got the whistle on the way up, so he’ll be headed to the line for a pair. Los Angeles shooting their first shots from the free throw line tonight. The free throw drops for Vanderbilt. Clarkson’s checked in for New York. [Applause] [Music] can’t hit the second. Knicks leading by five. And down low. Rebounded by the Lakers. Eightton’s got rebound number five here tonight. Donic outside to the middle. And there’s Aiden on the assist from Donic. Eightton’s got six. That is a strong move by Aiden. He is merciless in there inside. He’s got his first free throws of the night right here. Shoot two. [Applause] No good on the free throw and Los Angeles making a change here. Hayes has checked in. [Music] [Applause] Yeah, no luck at the stripe this time. Second one won’t fall. Lakers trail by three. Here’s Donic. Hard pulls it in. Art’s got his fourth rebound in this one. Pass to Towns. over Vanderbelt. He’s in his comfort zone. Two for two to start this one. And Towns can make this shot in his sleep. It’s something the defense must guard closely. And so JJ Reick calls for the timeout. And we might see some changes. Coach potentially looking to adjust. Heat up here. Heat. Heat. So for the Knicks, Rale Bridges checked in for Hart. And it’s McBride in for Jaylen Brunson. And the Lakers also making a switch. Reeves is checked in. Here’s Reeves. Now James back to Reeves. [Music] Just five to shoot. There’s James on the wing. Smart for three. The Knicks pull it in. McBride with it. Hayes picks him up. McBride can’t get it to go. And so James will bring it up for the Los Angeles Lakers. trailing by five. [Applause] Shoots from the elbow. Jump shot is good. James has gotten a second bucket on the night. A real threat from the in between area. LeBron wastes no time firing when he gets to that spot. Carson for three. It’s Hayes with the rebound. Lakers trail by three. To the inside. Here’s Vanderbilt. The shots good on the assist by James. James has got three assists tonight. They’re punishing those late defensive rotations, getting good looks inside throughout the half. Now here’s Clarkson. Still no points. 114 left in the first. The put back. It’s good on the put back and the Knicks lead by three. I always love the hard work on the glass. Just great activity [Music] outside Reeves. [Applause] Count it. Two for four from the field. Now I know what they say, defense wins championships, but you need some bucket givers, too. Now, Clarkson passes to Bridges. [Applause] Vanderbilt against Town. Out to Bridges. Screen by Bridges. Back to Robinson. And a big finish by Robinson. An efficient facilitator. Clarkson gets the ball to the right. Lakers trail by three. Outside. Reeves. [Music] out left to the wing. Hayes finds James. Hayes with a screen inside. Robinson with a steal outside. McBride over Smart. Oh, he got it up in time, but it wouldn’t fall for him. So, at the end of one quarter of play, still a close game. Knicks out in front. They lead by three. And the second quarter is on its way when we return. [Music] Some good action already in this one, but a fairly even matchup after this first quarter play. And guys, let’s get your take on the scoring breakdown for the Knicks. So far, they haven’t had to force anything. They’re swinging the ball around and turning good passing into points. Man, they’re just having their way bullying the other team in the painted area and posing their will down there whenever they want. Well, R.J., you got traded a couple of times for good reason. What’s it like off the floor? I don’t need your quips, DA, but it is crazy. You get a phone call and bam, you can move across the country. And while it’s hard on you, you understand it comes with playing in this league and having this job. We’ve got male Bridges. Jordan Clarkson is out there with Miles McBride. Then there’s Mitchell Robinson. And it’s Yamoselli in at the four. That’s the five for New York right now. Now here’s McBride. No made baskets yet. Charity stripe shot and off the front iron and it goes. And the Knicks lead by five. Comfortable scoring it anywhere on the floor. Jordan Clarkson is instant offense. There’s Reeves. It’s rebounded by McBride. That’s the shot they wanted. It just didn’t fall. Have to watch those miss. I’m sure they’ll convert the next chance. 13 ft out and the basket by Bridges. And now a seven-point New York lead. The mid-range isn’t a total no-go for Bridges. He can get that dialed in. Smart passes to Hayes. Now Smart. Back to Reeves. Hayes with a screen on Clarkson. Pass to Hayes. Good work defensively by Robinson. Knicks leading by seven. And he loss up the rim. Alioop up top. Hammer it home. You can really feel the momentum swinging in their direction. Yeah, but they can’t relax. They got to keep building on this lead because it is not safe. Now here’s Reeds. over Clarkson. Shot is good by Reeves. Reeves has got his third basket of the night. Found some space to get off the mid-range and he’ll do damage from there if you let him. Outside Robinson pass to Bridges on the wing. Clarkson. He’s covered by Reeves. Clock at six. And that one’s good. Clarkson. Clarkson’s got his second basket of the night. Good maneuver to get inside. Clarkson is sneaky. They’re searching for a way to score. Yeah, buckets have been very tough to come by. Smart for three and Smart nails the triple. And what kind of defense was that? You can’t give up wide open threes like that. What do you do? Here’s Bridges. Vanderbilt pulls it in. Vanderbilt’s got five rebounds tonight. [Applause] Heading play to stop that easy layup right there. I mean, make him earn it at the line. These are his first free throws of the game. [Music] And the first one at the line is good. And Anobi, he’s checked in for McBride. Aimura’s checked in for the Lakers. [Applause] [Music] And he makes the first but misses the second. New York leading by five. Obi for three. Sinks the tray. Anomi’s gotten himself going with a triple. His first basket of the game. And we think of Torson often as a score, but there making the unselfish pass. Just great work. And so JJ Reick calls for the timeout. I think right now he must be looking at some adjustments. Heat up here. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] New York making a switch here. Towns has checked in and the Lakers also making a change. James has checked in. [Music] pass to Smart. Back to James. Shot clock at five. [Music] There’s the strength of the king. Yeah, just too much big boy basketball by LeBron James. just bodying defenders inside. Well, Grant, even though it looks like LeBron could play forever, he stated that he doesn’t have much time left. Well, it’s unbelievable that he sustained this level of excellence for as long as he has. I would be surprised if you see this type of longevity ever again. New York shooting their sixth and seventh free throw attempts tonight. Take a break. Take a break. Two shots. [Applause] [Music] And that one falls for Clarkson. And at this stage of his career, Clarkson really knows his role. A highly effective scorer who looks to decimate defenses. [Music] [Applause] And so Clarkson nails both of them. Lakers trail by eight. James passes to Reeves. Back to James over on Anobi and it’s James inside. You got to appreciate LeBron’s shot selection. He looks to take high percentage shots whenever he can. And he loss it up top. It’s stolen by Smart. Here’s Hayes and finished off by Hayes. And that’s got to hurt. A turnover for a free run at the rim. And now we know who has the momentum. That’s the last thing you need to happen down the stretch. Let’s see how they respond to the devastating punch. Outside Anobi. Pass to Clarkson. Fires the three. Aro with a rebound. Lakers trail by four. Seems like this offense is being executed the way it was designed. Yeah, I’m sure coach couldn’t be happier with the results. You can’t lose a shooter like him on the court. The ball will find its way to him and he will drill a three each time. Now here’s Robinson. He has six. Passes to Anobi. Carson for three. It’s rebounded by Los Angeles. Hachimura outside. James outside. Fires from deep and it’s New York with a rebound. Robinson’s got his sixth rebound on the night. Anobi against Aimura. [Music] Left side. Anobi. He’s getting his first free throw attempts of the night now. [Applause] The first one falls. Jaylen Brunson. He’s checked in for New York. The Lakers also with a sub. Donic has checked in for Smart. That’s also good. So he hits both free throws. Lakers trail by three. All right, let’s check in with Ally Leforce. Jaylen Brunson’s craft sets him apart. He said, quote, “I’ve always played with my instincts and tried to see the game a couple of plays ahead. As I’ve gotten older, that part of my game has gotten wiser and better, but I’m still learning.” Brian, that’s a scary thought for the rest of the league. He’s already plenty dangerous, all Reeves. The pass to Donic. And here we go. The Knicks in transition on the run out. Brunson finishes at the rim. The steal, the break, the hoop from Brunson. He’s just doing it all on his own. Aimura outside. Donic finds Aimura. Donic with it. And Bridges picks him up defensively. Six to shoot. And it’s Donic missing. New York leading by five. Oh, there’s the alley and a big finish by Robinson and the lead increases on a crazy offensive sequence. Man, the dunk alone would have been incredible. Let alone the fact that it came off a 10-point pass. Reeves against Bridges. Pass to Brunson. Back to Bridges. Towns outside. Now Anobi checked by James for three. Bridges in coming off an assist from Town and now a 10-point Nick lead. Oh, productive from back there. Bridges showing the range. Aimura outside. Pass to James. Hayes with a screen on Anovi to win the run. It’s changed with the drive. [Music] An Obi against Hayes. Brunson with it. Towns. A spring on Donic. Here’s Brunson outside and the mix. Another three. You some threes look better than others and Brunson’s lefty stroke from three is a beautiful thing. James outside. and he can’t answer back. The three-pointer offline on the wing. Check by James. Donic against Brunson to the middle. It’s stolen by Donic. And the ball goes out of bounds. Last touch by Donic. And the Lakers with some changes. Vanderbilt comes in for Hayes and Smart subbed in for Reeves. [Applause] And so it’s Brunson with it. He brings it up for the New York Knicks. This is the most they’ve led. 13 points. [Music] Anobi a screen on Vanderbilt. Pass to Anobi. It’s stolen by James. It’s an even threeon-ree break. Here’s Aimura. The shots good on the assist by James. James has got his fourth assist in this one. And here’s New York now. It’s a 12-2 run here. Good pace. Here’s Yoselli. They set the screen. Back to Brunson. It’s stolen by Smart to the paint. Hey, great communication on the lob. All eyes on Luca. The defense forgot about his teammates. Knicks leading by nine. Towns outside. Pass to Ananobi. Clarkson outside. Three-pointer. No good. And he continues to cast away, but the results just haven’t been there tonight. Smart passes to Donic for three and the rebound goes to the Knicks. There’s Brunson. Nine points in the game. Six on the shot clock. James with the rebound and he’s very confident from that range, but he can’t make him off. Smart passes to James up against controls the rebound and the put back. And those second chance buckets are major bonus points if you can get them. New York leading by seven. Pass to Towns. Back to Brunson. Brunson with the finish inside. Brunson doesn’t fear going in amongst the trees. Remarkable poise there inside. Smart against Brunson. Machimura right side. 46 seconds left to play in the half from deep. Here’s Donic. Luca lethal. And I love Donic shot selection. So smart at knowing when to shoot it. Outside Anobi [Music] Towns on a screen. Oh, and there’s the whistle on the shot. So, two free throws for him coming up. It’s on LeBron James. Man, he made sure to get his money’s worth on that foul. And he’ll take his third and fourth free throws of the night. [Applause] Take a break. Take a break. Two shots. [Music] That free throw is good from Anobi. Josh Hart’s checked in for New York. Bridges comes in for Clarkson. Aiden, he’s checked in for Los Angeles. Reeves comes in for Smart. [Music] That one falls. So he hits both of them. Lakers trail by eight. James with the ball. 10 points for him. Out to Aimura. The shots good on the assist by James. Aimura’s got five. The execution has been better lately. Do they have enough energy to pull it off? The thing they have to watch for is mental fatigue. They have to stay focused and finish the job. And a pretty tightly contested game here as we end the first half. New York out in front up five. Well, now a minute to check in with Ally Leforce. She’s courtside. Hey Ally. All right. Thanks, Tibs. What’ you think about the way this team defended in the first half? Well, not bad, but we have to sustain it for the entire game. They put a lot of pressure on you. We got to make sure we’re containing our dribble penetration and then we got to react and challenge shots. The expectations are high for the second half. Thanks, coach. All right, good stuff, Ally. And we’ll get back to the action at the start of the third quarter. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. [Applause] Heat. And if you’re just joining us, we played through the first half in a game that’s been fairly even so far. You look at Jaylen Brunson. What a contribution. They’ve leaned on him to provide a lot of offense, and that’s how he likes him. He always wants to be a go-to guy for them. I’m sure he’ll be calling for the ball even more in this half. [Music] And Brunson’s got the ball here for New York. 13 points was their biggest lead of the game. And so in the game for Los Angeles at the forward slot, it’s LeBron and Aimura. Luca Donic is out there with Austin Reeds. And it’s Aiden in at the five. And no matter how the D’s coming at him tonight, Brunson has adapted. And that’s what great scorers do. They figure it out. Now here’s Reeds. [Music] Kicks it to Don. Pass to Widen. Five on the clock. The Lakers got to get one up. Late clock. James can’t get it to go. Knicks leading by seven. Hard passes to Brunson. The three is up. Brunson missing again. The Lakers shooting 44%. A pretty decent clip. Well, I don’t think anyone predicted that Jaylen Brunson would become the player he is today, Grant. Yeah, that’s for sure, BA. Or he definitely wouldn’t have been a second round pick. He’s a hard worker, a competitor, and an elite offensive player. Here’s Reeves. Nice D from Bridges. Reeves has gotten just four of his 10 shots to fall here. Hard passes to Bridges. Now Towns. It’s rebounded by Los Angeles. Hayden’s got six rebounds now in the game. Pass to Aimura. And here’s Aiden covered by Towns. Now here’s Donic. [Music] Oh, and he took a hard foul on the shot. So he’ll head to the line to shoot a pair. Jaylen Brunson picks one up. And you can’t let Donets get this type of positioning because then you’re pretty much forced to foul him. Los Angeles shooting their fifth and six free throw attempts tonight. Heat. Heat. [Music] That’s good from Donic. And Donicas is a walking triple double threat. His versatility and confidence is really special. [Applause] [Music] And that one goes in. Two from the line that time. Two minutes gone in this third quarter. Now Bridges feel peeling it out a little bit. Here he goes. Goes to the reverse layup and drops it in. Bridges has got 10 points. Big guy with a long stride. Bridges. This man can blitz the hoop. Donic against Brunson with the step back. Donic throwing his weight around. Nice move to get inside and create a good look for himself. New York leading by five. Outside Anobi. Just over two and a half minutes gone by in the second half. Hart passes to Towns. He gets it in there. He’s got nine. Hard to find fault with the D. Towns just beating them with better offense there. And so JJ Reic calls for the timeout. He wants a few moments to regroup with his players. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] [Music] Lakers trail by seven. Donic outside. James left side. Shot clock at six. [Music] The three is up. Oh, James knocks down the triple. Getting that little bit of help. James calls for the pick and roll. Shake up the defense and find himself a quality layer. Pass to Bridges. [Music] And here’s Anobi. Here’s Hart. The floater. It’s good. And he drew contact on the shot. So, he will go to the line. A three-point play opportunity. And this is his first trip to the line tonight. [Applause] [Music] And that one misses. Lakers trail by six. Here’s James. LeBron fires one down. Now look, a coach is going to trust LeBron James to just put up monster numbers cuz that’s who he is. But it is nice to see him get into a nice groove like this. Heartless screen on James. Here’s Anobi. Oh, it’s blocked. It deflects off the backboard. Pass break. Here come the Lakers. And he’s going to the line for two. The officials saw contact while he was going up. What I appreciate about LeBron is how much he loves being a leader. He knows how much his teammates count on him. And a chance for a moment to check out the scoring breakdown for the Knicks. You got to be impressed with how assertive they are on offense, continuing to cut hard to the rim time and time again. They’ve also been striking from mid-range with great consistency tonight. They just owned that part of the floor in this one. That free throw good from James. But how about LeBron? Even if he’s no longer the clearcut best player in the league, he can still take over a game, RJ. Oh, make no mistake. He is still the best when he needs to be. Absolutely has a switch that gets flipped when he needs it. He’s not on for 48 minutes, but he can definitely turn it on for a few. Both free throws good from James. And so it’s Brunson who brings up the ball for New York. 13 points was their biggest lead of the game. Oh, Brunson off the bump. Yeah, he was able to sneak it to the rim. Had enough room to get just like an easy layup outside. Reeves against Donic. James left side. James takes the hit and sinks the shot. Good work on the block. I like when LeBron gets aggressive this close to the rim. Brunson finds Anobi. [Music] Bridges a screen on James. Bridges outside from downtown. It’s rebounded by Los Angeles. Yeah, you know he usually makes you pay from that range down low. Here’s Donic and Donic hammers it home. A guard that can truly do it all. Donic has tremendous power. Bridges outside. Pass to Anovi. Hard with it. Brunson with it. Checked by James. Pocket four and it’s Brunson missing. Los Angeles has gone one of two shooting from the perimeter since halftime outside. Reeves against Bridges. Donic on the wing. Back to Reeves for the lead and Anobi pulls it down. New York has gone 0 for two from outside here in the third. Donic against Brunson and they double up Brunson. Pass to Towns. Back to Brunson. Rejected by James and it’s going to be out of bounds. New York will have another go. And the fans love seeing incredible moments on defense like that block. Yeah, obviously he had the shot well anticipated. able to shut it down with authority. Robinson, he’s checked in for Anobi. Vanderbilt’s checked in for Los Angeles. And we’ll have a timeout called by Tom Pibido. He wants to make sure everybody’s on the same page. Heat up here. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] Both loose. Blocking two. fires away from way outside and they’ll turn it over. Couldn’t get the shot off. A shot clock violation. [Applause] [Music] Now here’s Donic. He’s got 12. James deciding where to go with it. and he misses the go ahead basket. The Knicks have gone five of 11 in this third quarter. Towns outside to win the draft and Jaylen Brunson gets the whistle that time. That’s foul number two for him. Just such good vision from Brunson. He’s able to spot a guy ready to attack. Lakers trail by three. [Music] outside. Reeves. Pass to James. Just five on the clock. Donic outside. There’s the triple. It’s hauled in by Robinson. Robinson’s got nine rebounds in the game. Boy, he’s getting it done. Outside Brunson. Towns left side to the paint outside Hart. Towns a screen on James. New York needs to get one up quick. The timer tips. Towns can’t get it to go. Just terrible defense. I don’t know how he missed that shot. Reeves the pass to Vanderbelt and there’s a whistle. He’ll head to the line to shoot two. This is his second trip to the free throw line in this one. Shoot two. [Music] That free throw dropped for Vanderbilt. [Music] That one’s no good. The Knicks with the lead. Here’s Bridges. Yes. What a nice assist from Brunson. Brunson’s got four assists now tonight. Look at that catch and shoot ability from Bridges. Not all forwards have that skill. Now here’s Donic. He’s got 12. Aton screen on Brunson from deep. Here’s Donic and it’s New York for the rebound. Robinson’s got rebound number 11. Here’s Towns and it’s powered home by Towns. Yeah. Going right for the iron. Towns musling his way through. Reeves the pass to Aiden. Back to Donic. Pass to Aiden. Donic is doubled outside. Reeves the three. That’s bucket number five. He’s five for 12 now. Well, if they’re doubling you, then you know someone is open to shoot. So, smart move passing it out. And he almost made them regret defending him so loosely. Here’s James. He’s covered by Hart. It’s stolen by Hart. [Music] Pass to Brunson with the 10-footer and Aiden pulls it down. Aiden’s got nine rebounds now. This James on the wing outside. Reeves. Aiden. A screen on Bridges. Good try by Reeves. Nice D from Bridges. Knicks leading by three. [Music] Outside. Brunson. Pass to Towns. Offensive rebound for three. Bridges. And he stays with it. The three. That’s good from Towns on the assist from Bridges. Towns has got 10 points in just the second half. Lakers trail by six. Now here’s Donic outside. Vanderbilt puts up a three and the rebound goes to the Knicks. Towns has got seven rebounds in the game. Bridges outside. Oh, and he got fouled on his way up. He’ll head to the line to shoot two. Austin Reeves picks one up. Well, Bridges isn’t the biggest guy, but he is a fighter. Well, Richard, he’s the iron man of the NBA right now. Male Bridges takes pride in being available on a nightly basis. We’ve all heard it before. The best ability is availability. And Bridges does whatever it takes to not miss games. More teams need to take this mindset. That’s good from Bridges. I consider Mikuel Bridges a high motor player. He’s always ready to turn up his energy if he thinks it will help him get the better of him. [Applause] [Music] Bridges hits them both and Reeves has got the ball here for Los Angeles. Eight-point game. Pass to Smart. Here’s Connect. Fires for three. The shot won’t fall. Nice D from Bridges. Carson against smartelli fires in the triple. You can’t lose a shooter like him on the court. The ball will find its way to him and he will drill a three each time. Carson against Reeves. They need this. And the layup is good. Reeves has got five points now in the quarter. Showing off the dribble moves able to create for himself by love. Pass to Clarkson and he lays it up and in. Clarkson’s got eight. You got to bring more fire than that to stop Clarkson. He’s a pro at fending off tight defense. And here’s Smart. Oh, smart drives. Six to shoot. Pass to Vanderbilt from Deep Reeves. The rebound by Yoselli. And here’s New York now. They’re on a 17-6 run. McBride passes to Clarkson. Screen by Robinson, [Music] shoots from 14. It’s been all about Carl Anthony Towns for New York. He put together 10 points in the quarter. More 2K action in just a moment. [Applause] [Music] And let’s take this opportunity to show you our State Farm assist of the game. You know, I’m kind of stoked that this was the choice because I love this pass. A remarkable find. He put his court vision on full display. There wasn’t a better pass in the game. Almost like he had a six sense. And we reach the fourth quarter in a game that may already be out of hand. Mitchell Robinson is out there with Carl Anthony Towns. Then it’s OG Anomi. Then there’s Miles McBride. And it’s Clarkson in at the two. So that’s who’s on the floor for the Knicks. Back to Smart. [Music] Here’s Connect. He’s covered by Clarkson. Oh, it’s blocked by Towns. And look at that reach. I mean, Towns just say no. Anobi passes to Clarkson. Towns on a screen. Launches a three. It’s rebounded by Los Angeles. Oh man. For whatever reason, he can’t get it going from three. And he’s pretty good from there. Pass to Smart. Out to James. That’s in. Coming off an assist from Smart. James has got 22 points. When you’re guarding LeBron, you have to give him something. So the King, well, he’ll take a three-point basket. Towns outside. This one for three. Nails it from beyond the arc. Give him 20. This is just fun. These teams are trading threes back and forth. This is today’s NBA. Hey, we see this kind of exchange more often than not. Now, here’s Aimura and the shot goes. The selfless attitude of James. When someone on his team has a clean look, look, he feeds him. Knicks leading by nine now. Clarkson. Towns outside. Takes the three. Nice shot there making him eight for 13 and just totally relentless only increasing the intensity level. Always plays hard until the final whistle no matter what the situation is. Now here is James. Count that one. And it’s the level of creativity that separates LeBron. It’s second to none because he’s such an incredible ball handler. Also McBride with it defended by Smart. Towns right side from down in the low post. It goes. Towns has got 18 points in just the second half. Lakers trail by 12. Just under 2 and 1/2 minutes gone by now in the final quarter. James basket counts. That’s precisely what they got to do right now. attack the rim and if you happen to get fouled maybe you earn a trip to the line out of it. Now here’s McBride. Towns outside up top Robinson and Anomi finds Towns again. New York with the triple. Their strategy has been pretty simple here in the second half. Attack from three-point range. And you see this so much more nowadays in NBA teams putting a larger emphasis on jacking up threes. Hachimura against Towns [Music] and it’s Hachimura missing. New York leading by 13. Here’s Anobi. And there’s the slam. Don’t forget [Music] execution. Running with purpose and creating an easy scoring opportunity off the break. Now here’s Aimura. Back to James. [Music] Shoots over Anomi. Oh, Robinson with a block. Pass to Clarkson. And here’s McBride beyond the arc. Drops in the three. McBride’s got his first bucket of the game. And he’s on the board for three. And their strategy is obvious. manufacture looks from outside the arc. With the way they’re shooting, there’s no need to look for any other shot. Just keep letting it rain. Now, here’s Aimura and he banks in the layup. Hachimura’s got four points in the quarter. Used the pick to perfection and got all the way to the rim. Here’s Clarkson and a strong finish with two hands. I mean, the effortless athleticism. You can see Clarkson loves rising up and dropping the hammer. Here’s connect. He’s covered by Clarkson. Smart outside. Pass to Aimura. It’s nice to have the versatility of a guy like Aimura. Equally comfortable at either forward position. He’s got the size and strength of a modern-day NBA power forward, but he also has the ability to stretch the floor and knock down a three. That’s a nice combo. Take break. Break. Two shots. [Applause] This one falls for him for the Knicks. Harts checked in for Robinson. Male Bridges comes in for Clarkson. And it’s Jaylen Brunson in for McBride. [Music] And both free throws good for Aimura. New York leading by 16. Bridges outside back to Brunson outside. Hart pass to Towns [Music] and he drops it in from the low post. Towns has got 30 points. Nice positioning and footwork on point and Towns so smooth down there inside. Here’s Aiden and it’s New York with the rebound. Towns has got rebound number nine now. What an effort here tonight. Anobi passes to Hart. It’s good and the Knicks lead by 20. And trust me, when the D’s slow to react, he’ll be the first guy to make them pay. Yeah, they’re going to do a much better job of putting a little bit of pressure on him on his way to the hoop. Now, here’s Donic. Let’s go with a three on target from range. Defense was all over Donic, so he smartly uses a pick to get free to shoot. Brunson passes to Bridges. Up and over Donic. Bridges misses. Lakers trail by 17. And stolen by Brunson going inside. Uses the glass on the layup. Man, the defense had the right idea, but Brunson is able to push through the contact and so Smart will bring it up for Los Angeles. Aiden, a screen on Brunson and it’s Smart missing. Knicks leading by 19. Pass to Brunson. It’s stolen by Smart. Outside Reeves from deep and it’s Brunson with the rebound. Now here’s Hart. Towns taking his time here. Eight-pointer Bridges with a rebound. Aimura’s got six rebounds here tonight. Donic outside. Oh, and the jab by Aton. What goes up? Eighton will throw down. They knew just when passing that ball. New York has gone four of six from deep thus far in the fourth. Bridges outside. Obi for three and Aiden pulls it down. Lakers trail by 17 on the wing. Reeves and an Obi covering from 13 and Aiden gets it to go. That gives him a double double in this one. Smooth shooting from the mid-range. Aiden knows when to look to score from there. [Music] Brunson against Smart. New York again can’t hit. Los Angeles has gone two of four from the perimeter here in the fourth quarter. Aimura finds Donic. Reeves with a screen on Bridges from deep. Here’s Donic. You know, the instincts of Luca Donic are second to none. Such a natural playmaker. Here’s Brunson. And we’ll have a timeout called by Tom Thibido. He’s decided it’s time to clarify the situation, leaving little room for error. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. And the Knicks making a change here. Clarkson’s checked in and the Lakers also making a change. James has checked in. Time now to hear from our reporter Ally Leforce. Hey guys, over the last break I listened to Tom Tibido address the team and despite the lead, they are still coaching this team hard. In the huddle, they told their guys to stay alert. Do not give them anything easy. They want to protect this late lead. Ba. Okay. Thanks, Ally. Carson for three. Reeves with some nice D. Lakers trail by 13. Donic outside. Knocks down the triple. Don Chich has got 12 points here in the second half and his fantastic performance from the last game has carried over to tonight. He’s just riding the wave of momentum right now. Getting to his spots and keeping things simple on the offensive side. Here’s Brunson Towns. Oh, he hangs in there and cashes in on the second chance points and the Knicks lead by 12. He had 611 250 lbs. Towns is such a tough guy to keep off the glass. Pass to Reeves. Donic left side [Applause] and a foul called on the way up. So he’ll take two from the free throw line. Take a break. Take a break. Two shots. [Music] and that one misses. OG and Obi’s checked in for New York. [Applause] and he sinks the second. And here’s Bridges. He’ll bring it up for the Knicks. They led the game at one point by 20. Outside Hart from the arc and it’s out of bounds. They say it was last touch by Hachimura. Just a superb read on defense to come up with a block. Showing no signs of giving up this lead. That block sent shock waves into the opposition sails. [Music] Lakers on D. They trail by 11. Encouraging to see Donic hustle like this on defense, wanting to make an impact and doing just this. James outside that one falls. Great set up by Donic. Donic has got seven assists in the game. Well, I guess we could give him credit for not getting discouraged. He was still playing hard. He’s doing his job out there. Now here’s Brunson up and over Donic. And it’s Brunson missing. Nothing is going his way in this half offensively. Really having a hard time finding his shot. Re the pass to Aiden. Towns with a rebound. Towns has got a rebound number 12 here already in the game. Pass to Hart. Here’s his watching recovery. And he was fouled while in the act of shooting. So he’ll take two free throws. It’s on Ruy Aimura. Good whistle there. [Applause] And no good as the first free throw misses. We’ll see if he can hit the second. That’s good. Going one of two from the line and that’ll put him up by nine. Los Angeles has gone four of six from deep thus far in the fourth. From deep here is Donic. The Knicks pull it in outside. Brunson off target from outside. I think he’s gone completely dry. Nothing has hit him. Yeah. And the risk now is that he gets inside his head. Trying to take deep breaths in through the nose, out through the mouth, and let the game continue to his heart. Jaylen Brunson playing big right now. And this is a game they can build off of. They kept their focus all game long and it will get marked as a win for the Knicks. It’s impressive how the reserve players stepped up and delivered in this one. They didn’t just help out. They made a big impact and really secured the win for their team. And one of the league superstars, producing as he always does. What a terrific game for Carl Anthony Towns. Anytime they needed a bucket, they put the ball in his hands and say, “Go make a play.” It was impressive to watch. Here’s Brunson after the Lakers picking up a basket just moments ago. Six on the shot clock. Here’s Hart. Soft touch off the glass. And guys, that’s got to be the dagger. This is how you finish a game. And it felt like they just flipped the switch to go on that run and seal it again. Saving their best basketball for the end. That was smart. Pass to James. Top of the key. Hard pulls it in. And so New York takes this one by a big margin. A competitive game. You have to feel like this crowd gave them a little extra edge. Yeah, they really fed off the energy. who saw their activity level go up. Just a tremendous performance. All right, let’s send it down to Alli Levor who’s with our player of the game. All right, I’m with Carl Anthony Towns. Carl, congratulations on the victory. What was key in getting the win here tonight? Uh, I mean, we played like we wanted it more. You know, we came out here and we just did a lot of great defensive stops. It wasn’t offensive. It was more defensive. We did a great job. We got those 50-50 balls. Uh, put us in a nice position. We can see and feel that desperation congrats on the wind. All right, Ellie. Good guys are lethal one-on-one, but I think the key is to keep their teammates involved playing unselfish basketball. So, let’s take a look at the Los Angeles Lakers starting lineup. Reeves at the two with LeBron at the three. DeAndre Aiden is out there with Ruachimura and it’s Donuchin at the point guard position. Hits a three-pointer. encouraging to see Donic sink the three. Needs to keep doing this now. Brunson passes to Hart. Basket is good. Off the assist from Brunson. This is just fun. These teams are trading threes back and forth. This is today’s NBA. Hey, we see this kind of exchange more often than not. Nice shot by Reeds. No good. All right, let’s get a report from Alli. Tom Tibido gave me a few minutes to catch up with him. He spoke about LeBron James’ ability to completely control the game. They want to set the pace for themselves and make LeBron and his guys play catch-up. Coach said, “We have to play our branded basketball and not worry about who’s on the other side. Play our game, set the pace, and we should be all right.” Back to you, okay, thank you, Ally. And the defense was right on him there. Nice contest. James passes to Donic. with the rebound. I thought he had that all shown up, but somehow the defense just threw him off. Pass to Towns. Here’s Hart. [Applause] [Music] kicks it out. Towns the three ball. Count it. One for one to start the game. And that’s what makes Towns so dangerous offensively. He’s a threat even when he’s playing off the ball. Now here’s Donic. Brunson defending and it’s Donic missing. And no matter what the chatter is out there, all Big Cat does is produce on a nightly basis. And that one falls for Towns. Offensively, Carl Anthony Towns is one of the most well-rounded big men in the league, Grant. Yeah, maybe in league history, BA. He’s an elite three-point shooter, postcore, and his passing is severely underrated. And so, Towns nails them both. It’s always nice to see a big fella be able to knock down some free throws and make teams pay for the line. Donic passes to Aiden. Back to Donic. And here’s James. Pass to Aiden. Now Reeves. Six on the shot clock. Here’s James. Laid it in with a nice touch off the window. Making the D look helpless. James is just locked in once he gets this close. [Music] [Applause] Donic against Brunson. Aton with the block. And here’s Reeves. Donic outside. Goes up from the top of the key. Jaylen Brunson grabs a miss. And we’re about 3 minutes into this first quarter. Driving to the basket after missing his first attempt. Now one for two. Knifing to the rim with ease. Brunson attacks these open lanes with tenacity. And we’ve got a timeout called by JJ Reick. We might see him looking to make some tweaks to the strategy here. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat up here. Heat. Heat. [Music] down low. Oh, got a piece of it. Here’s Aiden. And a good offensive board and he gets the bucket. Yeah, this is where Aiden’s comfortable operating using his height and array of inside moves to his advantage. Bridges outside. Brunson passes to Hart. Brunson against Donic [Music] outside. Hart down to five on the shot clock. Another one falls for New York. Pick works well there, but the defense left a lot to be desired. Yeah, that just comes down to a lack of effort. The defender has to do a better job fighting through the screen. Now here is James and a miss there on the triple. Donic against Hart. Pass to Bridges and stolen by Reeves with the floater. Doesn’t go for him. Hard with a defensive effort and the Knicks with possession. They’re on a 12 to4 run. Bridges outside the screen. Bridges with it. Picked up by Reeves. Bridges misses. Lakers trail by five to the paint and with the stuff with his length. Aton can easily get to the rim. In fact, he almost makes it look too easy. Brunson surveys [Applause] hard up top. Shot clock at six and Bridges. Here we go. The shot no good. Los Angeles has gone one for three from beyond the art. Well, Grant, one thing about this Knicks team, they have a clear identity. Yeah, they have the mentality of their city, New York City, playing the game with passionate and in-your-face attitude. And of course, these Knicks leave it all out on the floor. Now, here’s Anobi still without a bucket. Hart passes to Bridges. It’s called in by Luca Donuch. And Donic has got the ball here for the Los Angeles Lakers. It’s a three-point game. Shot is up. James can’t get it to go. New York has gone two of two at the perimeter. Art passes to Anobi and the Knicks miss again. Lakers trail by three. They’ve been having major problems offensively. Definitely in a bit of a dry spell. Uses the glass to finish the layup. Attacking in the Phoenix area. Clearly that was their game plan coming in. The Knicks have gone four of 10 shooting the rock in this first quarter. And timeout is called by Tom Thibido. He’s going to talk it over with his guys. Adjustments are a part of every game and every quarter of a game. I think coach sees something here. Yeah, this is a good opportunity to get your group together and make sure Everyone is on the same page. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] And the Knicks make making a change here. Robinson’s checked in and the Lakers also making a change. Vanderbilts checked in for Aimura. [Music] Hart passes to Robinson outside Brunson. High arcing shot. James with the block. A versatile, talented defender. LeBron excels at using his athleticism and length to block so many shots. Hard with it now. Donic defending. Hard against Donic. Hard passes to Towns. Now Bridges. Six to shoot. to stop the crowd and the officials whistle a foul on the shot. The bucket is good and he’ll go to the line. Yeah, the agility of Bridges working around the impact of the foul to get his shot. First trip to the free throw line for him tonight and the Lakers making a change here. Smarts checked in. [Applause] What’s up? And Male Bridges still one of the better wing defenders in the league. Greg, yeah, he’s so great at pestering a shooter. Good lateral movement and wingspan makes him hard to get around. He might not be the best in the league, but he is well above average. Now here’s Smart. Pass to Donic. Launches it. Mark pulls it in. This has not been his best. Yeah, he needs to mix things up on the offense. He simply just can’t keep missing shots at this rate because he’s destroying his teammates. gives us a chance to catch up with Alli Leforce. Thanks, Brian. The Knicks, one of the top defensive teams in the league, and it starts in the paint. Coach Thompson has said, quote, “We’ve prided ourselves on having a tight shell. We’ve got great rim protection, guys who take charges, and we’re aggressive on the ball.” Guys, great defense has always been Tib and nothing has changed now. Thanks, Ally. Now, here’s Towns. He’s got five. Robinson passes to Brunson. using his post moves to get the two points and the Knicks lead by six. Now, he may only be 6’1, but Brunson plays much bigger than that. I mean, he plays with a physicality. Aiden finds Vanderbilt and he got the whistle on the way up, so he’ll be headed to the line for a pair. Los Angeles shooting their first shots from the free throw line tonight. The free throw dropped for Vanderbilt. Clarkson’s checked in for New York. [Applause] [Music] and he can’t hit the second. Knicks leading by five. And down low. Rebounded by the Lakers. Eightton’s got rebound number five here tonight. Donic outside. [Music] to the middle and there’s Aiden on the assist from Donic. Eightton’s got six. That is a strong move by Aiden. He is merciless in there inside. He’s got his first free throws of the night right here. Shoot. [Applause] No good on the free throw. And Los Angeles making a change here. Hayes has checked in. [Music] [Applause] Yeah, no luck at the stripe this time. Second one won’t fall. Lakers trail by three. Here’s Donic. Hard pulls it in. Art’s got his fourth rebound in this one. Pass to Towns over Vanderbilt. He’s in his comfort zone. Two for two to start this one. And Towns can make this shot in his sleep. It’s something the defense must guard closely. And so JJ Reick calls for the timeout. And we might see some changes. Coach potentially looking to adjust. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. So for the Knicks, Male Bridges checked in for Hart and it’s McBride in for Jaylen Brunson. And the Lakers also making a switch. Reeves is checked in. Here’s Reeves. Now James back to Reeves. [Music] Just five to shoot. There’s James on the wing. Smart for three. The Knicks pull it in. McBride with it. Hayes picks him up. McBride can’t get it to go. And so James will bring it up for the Los Angeles Lakers. Trailing by five. Shoots from the elbow. Jump shot is good. James has gotten his second bucket on the night. A real threat from the in between area. LeBron wastes no time firing when he gets to that spot. Carson for three. It’s Hayes with the rebound. Lakers trail by three. To the inside. Here’s Vanderbilt. The shots good on the assist by James. James has got three assists tonight. They’re punishing those late defensive rotations, getting good looks inside throughout the half. Now here’s Clarkson. Still no points. 114 left in the first. The put back. It’s good on the put back and the Knicks lead by three. I always love the hard work on the glass. Just great activity. [Music] Outside Reeves. [Applause] Count it. Two for four from the field now. I know what they say, defense wins championships, but you need some bucket getters, too. Now, Clarkson passes to Bridges. [Applause] Vanderville against Town. Out to Bridges. Screen by Bridges. Back to Robinson and a big finish by Robinson. An efficient facilitator. Clarkson gets the ball to the right. Lakers trail by three outside. Reeves [Music] out left to the wing. Hayes finds James. Hayes with a screen inside. Robinson with a steal. Outside McBride over Smart. Oh, he got it up in time, but it wouldn’t fall for him. So, at the end of one quarter of play, still a close game. Knicks out in front. They lead by three. And the second quarter is on its way when we return. [Music] Some good action already in this one, but a fairly even matchup after this first quarter play. And guys, let’s get your take on the scoring breakdown for the Knicks. So far, they haven’t had to force anything. They’re swinging the ball around and turning good passing into points. Man, they’re just having their way bullying the other team in the painted area and posing their will down there whenever they want. Well, R.J., you got traded a couple of times for good reason. What’s it like off the floor? I don’t need your quips, DA, but it is crazy. You get a phone call and bam, you can move across the country. And while it’s hard on you, you understand it comes with playing in this league and having this job. We’ve got Male Bridges. Jordan Clarkson is out there with Miles McBride. Then there’s Mitchell Robinson. And it’s Yamoselli in at the four. That’s the five for New York right now. Now here’s McBride. No made baskets yet. Charity stripe shot and off the front iron and it goes. And the Knicks lead by five. Comfortable scoring it anywhere on the floor. Jordan Clarkson is instant offense. There’s Reeves. It’s rebounded by McBride. That’s the shot they wanted. It just didn’t fall. Have to watch those miss. I’m sure they’ll convert the next chance. 13 ft out the basket by Bridges. And now a seven-point New York lead. The mid-range isn’t a total no-go for Bridges. He can get that dialed in. Smart passes to Hayes. Now Smart. Back to Reeves. Hayes with a screen on Clarkson. Pass to Hayes. Good work defensively by Robinson. Knicks leading by seven. And he lobbs it up the rim. Alioop up top. Hammer it home. You can really feel the momentum swinging in their direction. Yeah, but they can’t relax. They got to keep building on this lead because it is not safe. Now here’s Reeves over Clarkson. Shot is good by Reeves. Reeves has got his third basket of the night. Found some space to get off the mid-range and he’ll do damage from there if you let him. Outside Robinson pass to Bridges on the wing. Clarkson. He’s covered by Reeves. Clock at six. And that one’s good. Clarkson. Clarkson’s got his second basket of the night. Good maneuver to get inside. Clarkson is sneaky. They’re searching for a way to score. Yeah, buckets have been very tough to come by. Smart for three and Smart nails the triple. And what kind of defense was that? You can’t give up wide open threes like that. What are you doing? Here’s Bridges. Vanderbilt pulls it in. Vanderbilt’s got five rebounds tonight. [Applause] heading play to stop that easy layup right there. I mean, make him earn it at the line. These are his first free throws of the game. [Music] And the first one at the line is good. And an Obi, he’s checked in for McBride. Aimura’s checked in for the Lakers. [Applause] And he makes the first but misses the second. New York leading by five. Anobi for three. Sinks the tray. Anobi’s gotten himself going with a triple. His first basket of the game. And we think of Torson often as a score, but there making the unselfish pass. Just great work. And so JJ Reick calls for the timeout. I think right now he must be looking at some adjustments. [Music] [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] New York making a switch here. Towns has checked in and the Lakers also making a change. James has checked in. [Music] pass to Smart. Back to James. Shot clock at five. [Music] There’s the strength of the king. Yeah, just too much big boy basketball by LeBron James. Just bodying defenders inside. Well, Grant, even though it looks like LeBron could play forever, he stated that he doesn’t have much time left. Well, it’s unbelievable that he sustained this level of excellence for as long as he has. I would be surprised if you see this type of longevity ever again. New York shooting their sixth and seventh free throw attempts tonight. Take a break. Take a break. Two shots. [Applause] [Music] And that one falls for Clarkson. And at this stage of his career, Clarkson really knows his role. A highly effective scorer who looks to decimate defenses. [Music] [Applause] And so Clarkson nails both of them. Lakers trail by eight. James passes to Reeves. Back to James over on Anobi. And it’s James inside. You got to appreciate LeBron’s shot selection. He looks to take high percentage shots whenever he can. And he loss it up top. It’s stolen by Smart. Here’s Hayes and finished off by Hayes. And that’s got to hurt. A turnover for a free run at the rim. And now we know who has the momentum. That’s the last thing you need to happen down the stretch. Let’s see how they respond to the devastating punch. Outside Anobi, pass to Clarkson. Fires the three. Aimuro with a rebound. Lakers trail by four. Seems like this offense is being executed the way it was designed. Yeah, I’m sure coach couldn’t be happier with the results. You can’t lose a shooter like him on the court. The ball will find its way to him and he will drill a three each time. Now here’s Robinson. He has six. Towns passes to Anobi. Carson for three. It’s rebounded by Los Angeles. Hachimura outside. James outside. Fires from deep and it’s New York with a rebound. Robinson’s got his sixth rebound on the night. An obi against Aimura. [Music] Left side. Anobi. He’s getting his first free throw attempts of the night now. Shoot. [Applause] The first one falls. Jaylen Brunson. He’s checked in for New York. The Lakers also with a sub. Donic has checked in for Smart. That’s also good. So, he hits both free throws. Lakers trail by three. All right, let’s check in with Ally Leforce. Jaylen Brunson’s craft sets him apart. He said, quote, “I’ve always played with my instincts and tried to see the game a couple plays ahead. As I’ve gotten older, that part of my game has gotten wiser and better, but I’m still learning. Brian, that’s a scary thought for the rest of the league. He’s already plenty dangerous. All Reeves, the pass to Donic. And here we go. The Knicks in transition on the run out. Brunson finishes at the rim. The steal, the break, the hoop from Brunson. He’s just doing it all on his own. Aimura outside. Donic finds Aimura. Donic with it and Bridges picks him up defensively. Six to shoot and it’s Donic missing. New York leading by five. [Music] Oh, there’s the alley and a big finish by Robinson and the lead increases on a crazy offensive sequence. Man, the dunk alone would have been incredible. let alone the fact that it came off a 10-point pass. Reeves against Bridges. Pass to Brunson. Back to Bridges. Towns outside. Now Anobi checked by James for three. Bridges in coming off an assist from Town. And now a 10-point Nick lead. Oh, productive from back there. Bridges showing the range. Aimura outside. Pass to James. Hayes with a screen on Anobi to win the run. It’s James with the drive. [Music] Anobi against Hayes. Brunson with it. Towns. A screen on Donic. Here’s Brunson outside on the mix. Another three. You know, some threes look better than others and Brunson’s lefty stroke from three is a beautiful thing. James outside and he can’t answer back. The three-pointer offline. Anobi on the wing. Check by James. Donic against Brunson. to the middle. It’s stolen by Donic. And the ball goes out of bounds. Last touch by Donic. And the Lakers with some changes. Vanderbilt comes in for Hayes. And Smart subbed in for Reeves. [Applause] And so it’s Brunson with it. He brings it up for the New York Knicks. This is the most they’ve led. 13 points. Anobi a screen on Vanderbilt. Pass to Anenobi. It’s stolen by James. It’s an even threeon-ree break. Here’s Aimura. The shots good on the assist by James. James has got his fourth assist in this one. And here’s New York now. It’s a 12-2 run here. Good pace. Here’s Yoselli. They set the screen. Back to Brunson. It’s stolen by Smart to the paint. Hey, great communication on the lob. All eyes on Luca. The defense forgot about his teammates. Knicks leading by nine. Towns outside pass to Ananobi. Clarkson outside three-pointer no good and he continues to cast away but the results just haven’t been there tonight. Smart pass it to Donic 43 and the rebound goes to the Knicks. There’s Brunson. Nine points in the game. Six on the shot clock. James with the rebound and he’s very confident from that range, but he can’t make him off. Smart passes to James up controls the rebound and the put back. And those second chance buckets are major bonus points if you can get them. New York leading by seven. Pass to Towns. Back to Brunson. Brunson with the finish inside. Brunson doesn’t fear going in amongst the trees. Remarkable poise there inside. Smart against Brunson. Machimero right side. 46 seconds left to play in the half. From deep. Here’s Donic. Luca lethal. And I love Donic’s shot selection. So smart at knowing when to shoot it. Outside Anobi. [Music] Towns on a screen. Oh, and there’s the whistle on the shot. So, two free throws for him coming up. It’s on LeBron James. Man, he made sure to get his money’s worth on that foul. And he’ll take his third and fourth free throws of the night. [Applause] Take a break. Take a break. Two shots. [Music] That free throw is good from Anobi. Josh Hart’s checked in for New York. Bridges comes in for Clarkson. Aiden, he’s checked in for Los Angeles. Reeves comes in for Smart. [Music] That one falls. So he hits both of them. Lakers trail by eight. James with the ball. 10 points for him. Not to Aimura. The shots good on the assist by James. Aimura’s got five. The execution has been better lately. But do they have enough energy to pull it off? The thing they have to watch for is mental fatigue. They have to stay focused and finish the job. And a pretty tightly contested game here as we end the first half. New York out in front up five now. Now a minute to check in with Ally Leforce. She’s courtside. Hey Ally. All right. Thanks Tibs. What do you think about the way this team defended in the first half? Well, not bad, but we have to sustain it for the entire game. They put a lot of pressure on you. We got to make sure we’re containing our dribble penetration and then we got to react and challenge shots. Expectations are high for the second half. Thanks, coach. All right, good stuff, Ally. And we’ll get back to the action at the start of the third quarter. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Applause] And if you’re just joining us, we played through the first half in a game that’s been fairly even so far. You look at Jaylen Brunson. What a contribution. They’ve leaned on him to provide a lot of offense and that’s how he likes him. He always wants to be a go-to guy for them. I’m sure he’ll be calling for the ball even more in this half. [Music] And Brunson’s got the ball here for New York. 13 points was their biggest lead of the game. And so in the game for Los Angeles at the forward slot, it’s LeBron and Aimura. Luca Donic is out there with Austin Reeds. And it’s Aiden in at the five. And no matter how the D’s coming at him tonight, Brunson has adapted. And that’s what great scorers do. They figure it out. Now here’s Reeds. [Music] Kicks it to Donic. Pass to Aiden. Five on the clock. The Lakers got to get one up. Late clock. James can’t get it to go. Knicks leading by seven. Hard passes to Brunson. The three is up. Bronson missing again. The Lakers shooting 44%. A pretty decent clip. Well, I don’t think anyone predicted that Jaylen Brunson would become the player he is today, Grant. Yeah, that’s for sure, BA. Or he definitely wouldn’t have been a second round pick. He’s a hard worker, a competitor, and an elite offensive player. Here’s Reeves. Nice D from Bridges. Reeves has gotten just four of his 10 shots to fall here. Hard passes to Bridges. Now Towns. It’s rebounded by Los Angeles. Aiden’s got six rebounds now in the game. Pass to Aimura. And here’s Aiden covered by Towns. Now here’s Dantic. Oh, and he took a hard foul on the shot. So he’ll head to the line to shoot a pair. Jaylen Brunson picks one up. And you can’t let Donets get this type of positioning because then you’re pretty much forced to foul him. Los Angeles shooting their fifth and six free throw attempts tonight. Shooting two. [Music] That’s good from Donic. And Donicas is a walking triple double threat. His versatility and confidence is really special. [Applause] [Music] And that one goes in. Two from the line that time. Two minutes gone in this third quarter. Now Bridges feel peeling it out a little bit. Here he goes. Goes to the reverse layup and drops it in. Bridges has got 10 points. Big guy with a long stride. Bridges. This man can blitz the hoop. Donic against Brunson with the step back. Donic throwing his weight around. Nice move to get inside and create a good look for himself. New York leading by five. outside Anobi. Just over two and a half minutes gone by in the second half. Art passes to Towns. He gets it in there. He’s got nine. Hard to find fault with the D. Towns just beating them with better offense there. And so JJ Reic calls for the timeout. He wants a few moments to regroup with his players. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Lakers trail by seven. Donic outside. James left side. Shot clock at six. [Music] The three is up. Oh, James knocks down the triple. Getting that little bit of help, James calls for the pick and roll, shake up the defense, and find himself a quality look. Pass to Bridges. [Music] And here’s Anobi. Here’s Harden. The floater. It’s good. And he drew contact on the shot. So, he will go to the line. A three-point play opportunity. And this is his first trip to the line tonight. [Applause] [Music] And that one misses. Lakers trail by six. Here’s James. LeBron fires one down. Now look, a coach is going to trust LeBron James to just put up monster numbers cuz that’s who he is. But it is nice to see him get into a nice groove like this. Hart with a screen on James. Here’s Anobi. Oh, it’s blocked. It deflects off the backboard. Pass break. Here come the Lakers and he’s going to the line for two. The officials saw contact while he was going up. What I appreciate about LeBron is how much he loves being a leader. He knows how much his teammates count on him. And a chance for a moment to check out the scoring breakdown for the Knicks. You’ve got to be impressed with how assertive they are on offense, continuing to cut hard to the rim time and time again. They’ve also been striking from mid-range with great consistency tonight. They just own that part of the floor in this one. That free throw good from James. But how about LeBron? Even if he’s no longer the clear-cut best player in the league, he can still take over a game. RJ, oh, make no mistake. He is still the best when he needs to be. Absolutely. Has a switch that gets flipped when he needs it. He’s not on for 48 minutes, but he can definitely turn it on for a few. Both free throws good from James. And so it’s Brunson who brings up the ball for New York. 13 points was their biggest lead of the game. Oh, Brunson off the bump. Yeah, he was able to sneak it to the rim. Had enough room to get just like an easy layup outside. Reeves against Donic. James left side. James takes the hit and sinks the shot. Good work on the block. I like when LeBron gets aggressive this close to the rim. Brunson finds Anobi. [Music] Bridges a screen on James. Bridges outside from downtown. It’s rebounded by Los Angeles. Yeah, you know, he usually makes you pay from that range down low. Here’s Donic and Donic hammers it home. A guard that can truly do it all. Donic has tremendous power. Bridges outside. Pass to Anovi. Hard with it. Brunson with it. Checked by James. Clock at four. And it’s Brunson missing. Los Angeles has gone one of two shooting from the perimeter since halftime. Aimura outside. Reeves against Bridges. Donic on the wing. Back to Reeves for the lead and Anobi pulls it down. New York has gone 0 for two from outside here in the third. Donic against Brunson and they double up Brunson. Pass to Towns. Back to Brunson. Rejected by James and it’s going to be out of bounds. New York will have another go. And the fans love seeing incredible moments on defense like that block. Yeah, obviously he had the shot well anticipated, able to shut it down with authority. Robinson, he’s checked in for Anobi. Vanderbilt’s checked in for Los Angeles. And we’ll have a timeout called by Tom Pibido. He wants to make sure everybody’s on the same page. Heat up here. [Music] Heat up here. Heat. Heat. [Music] Both loose. Clock at two. Fires away from way outside and they’ll turn it over. Couldn’t get the shot off. A shot clock violation. [Applause] [Music] now. Here’s Donic. He’s got 12. James deciding where to go with it. And he misses the go ahead basket. The Knicks have gone five of 11 in this third quarter. Towns outside win and Jaylen Brunson gets the whistle that time. That’s foul number two for him. Just such good vision from Brunson. He’s able to spot a guy ready to attack. Lakers trail by three. [Music] Outside Reeves. Pass to James. Just five on the clock. Donic outside. There’s the triple. It’s hauled in by Robinson. Robinson’s got nine rebounds in the game. Boy, he’s getting it done. Outside. Brunson. Towns left side to the paint outside. part. Towns a screen on James. New York needs to give it up quick. The timer ticks. Towns can’t get it to go. Just terrible defense. I don’t know how he missed that shot. Reeves the pass to Vanderbelt. And there’s a whistle. He’ll head to the line to shoot two. This is his second trip to the free throw line in this one. [Music] The free throw dropped for Vanderbilt. [Music] That one’s no good. The Knicks with the lead. Here’s Bridges. Yes. And a nice assist from Brunson. Brunson’s got four assists now tonight. Look at that catch and shoot ability from Bridges. Not all forwards have that skill. Now here’s Donic. He’s got 12. Aiden. A screen on Brunson from deep. Here’s Donic. And it’s New York for the rebound. Robinson’s got rebound number 11. Here’s Towns and it’s powered home by Towns. Yeah. Going right for the iron. Towns musling his way through. Reeves. The pass to Aiden. Back to Donic. Pass to Aiden. Donic is doubled outside. Reeves the three. That’s bucket number five. He’s 5 for 12 now. Well, if they’re doubling you, then you know someone is open to shoot. It’s a smart move passing it out. And he almost made them regret defending him so loosely. Here’s James. He’s covered by Hart. It’s stolen by Hart. [Music] Pass to Brunson. with the 10-footer and Aiden pulls it down. Aiden’s got nine rebounds now. This James on the wing [Music] outside Reeves Aiden. A screen on Bridges. Good try by Reeves. Nice D from Bridges. Knicks leading by three. [Music] Outside Brunson pass to Towns. Offensive rebound for three. Bridges and he stays with it. The three. That’s good from Towns on the assist from Bridges. Towns has got 10 points in just the second half. Lakers trail by six. Now here’s Donic outside. Vanderbilt puts up a three and the rebound goes to the Knicks. Towns has got seven rebounds in the game. Bridges outside. Oh, and he got fouled on his way up. He’ll head to the line to shoot two. Austin Reeves picks one up. Well, Bridges isn’t the biggest guy, but he is a fighter. Well, Richard, he’s the Iron Man of the NBA right now. Male Bridges takes pride in being available on a nightly basis. We’ve all heard it before. The best ability is availability, and Bridges does whatever it takes to not miss games. More teams need to take this mindset. That’s good for Bridges. I consider Muel Bridges a high motor player. He’s always ready to turn up his energy if he thinks it will help him get the better of him. [Applause] [Music] Bridges hits them both and Reeves has got the ball here for Los Angeles. Eight-point game. Pass to Smart. Here’s connect. Fires for three. The shot won’t fall. Nice D from Bridges. Car Larson against Smart. Traviselli fires in the triple. You can’t lose a shooter like him on the court. The ball will find its way to him and he will drill a three each time. Carson against Reeves. They need this. And the layup is good. Reeves has got five points now in the quarter. Showing off the dribble moves. Able to create for himself. I love it. Pass to Clarkson. And he lays it up and in. Clarkson’s got eight. You got to bring more fire than that to stop Clarkson. He’s a pro at fending off tight defense. And here’s Smart. Oh, Smart drives. Six to shoot. Pass to Vanderbilt from Deep Reeves. The rebound by Yoselli. And here’s New York now. They’re on a 17-6 run. McBride passes to Clarkson. Screen by Robinson. [Music] Shoots from 14. It’s been all about Carl Anthony Towns for New York. He put together 10 points in the quarter. More 2K action in just a moment. [Applause] [Music] And let’s take this opportunity to show you our State Farm assist of the game. You know, I’m kind of stoked that this was the choice because I love this pass. A remarkable find. He put his court vision on full display. There wasn’t a better pass in the game. Almost like he had a six sense. And we reach the fourth quarter in a game that may already be out of hand. Mitchell Robinson is out there with Carl Anthony Towns. Then it’s OJ Anobi. Then there’s Miles McBride. And it’s Clarkson in at the two. So that’s who’s on the floor for the Knicks. Back to Smart. [Music] Here’s Connect. He’s covered by Clarkson. Oh, it’s blocked by Towns. And look at that reach. I mean, Towns just say no. Adobe passes to Clarkson. Towns on a screen. Launches a three. It’s rebounded by Los Angeles. Oh man, for whatever reason, he can’t get it going from three. And he’s pretty good from there. Pass to Smart. Out to James. That’s in. Coming off an assist from Smart. James has got 22 points. When you’re guarding LeBron, you have to give him something. So the King, well, he’ll take a three-point basket. Towns outside. This one for three. Nails it from beyond the arc. Give him 20. This is just fun. These teams are trading threes back and forth. This is today’s NBA. Hey, we see this kind of exchange more often than not. Now here’s Aimura. And the shot goes. The selfless attitude of James. When someone on his team has a clean look, look, he feeds him. Knicks leading by nine. Now Clarkson Towns outside takes the three. Nice shot there making him eight for 13 and just totally relentless only increasing the intensity level. Always plays hard until the final whistle no matter what the situation is. Now here is James. Count that one. And it’s the level of creativity that separates LeBron. It’s second to none cuz he’s such an incredible ball handler. Also McBride with it defended by Smart. Towns right side from down in the low post it goes. Towns has got 18 points in just the second half. Lakers trail by 12. Just under 2 and 1/2 minutes gone by now in the final quarter. James basket counts. That’s precisely what they got to do right now. attack the rim and if you happen to get fouled maybe you earn a trip to the line out of it. Now here’s McBride. Towns outside up top Robinson and Anomi finds Towns and again New York with the triple. Their strategy has been pretty simple here in the second half. Attack from three-point range. And you see this so much more nowadays in the NBA. Teams putting a larger emphasis on jacking up threes. Aimura against Towns. [Music] And it’s Hachimura missing. New York leading by 13. Here’s Anobi. And there’s the slam. Don’t comparison. Great teamwork on that drive. Punctuated by a strong finish. Yeah, that’s nice execution. Running with purpose and creating an easy scoring opportunity off the break. Now here’s Himura. Back to James. [Music] shoots over Anomi. Oh, Robinson with a block. Pass to Clarkson. And here’s McBride beyond the arc. Drops in the three. McBride’s got his first bucket of the game. And he’s on the board for three. And their strategy is obvious. Manufacture looks from outside the arc. With the way they’re shooting, there’s no need to look for any other shot. Just keep letting it rain. Now here’s Hachimura and he banks in the layup. Hachimura’s got four points in the quarter. Used the pick to perfection and got all the way to the rim. Here’s Clarkson and a strong finish with two hands. I mean the effortless athleticism. You can see Clarkson loves rising up and dropping the hammer. Here’s connect. He’s covered by Clarkson. Smart outside pass to Aimura, which it’s nice to have the versatility of a guy like Aimura. Equally comfortable at either forward position. He’s got the size and strength of a modern-day NBA power forward, but he also has the ability to stretch the floor and knock down a three. That’s a nice combo. Break. Break. Two shots. [Applause] First one falls for him for the Knicks. Harts checked in for Robinson. Male Bridges comes in for Clarkson. And it’s Jaylen Brunson in for McBride. [Music] Again, [Music] both free throws good for Aimura. New York leading by 16. Bridges outside back to Brunson outside. heart pass to Towns and he drops it in from the low post. Towns has got 30 points. Nice positioning and footwork on point and Towns so smooth down there inside. Here’s Eightton and it’s New York with the rebound. Towns has got rebound number nine now. What an effort here tonight. Anobi passes to Hart. It’s good. And the Knicks lead by 20. And trust me, when the D’s slow to react, he’ll be the first guy to make them pay. Yeah, they’re going to do a much better job of putting a little bit of pressure on him on his way to the hoop. Now, here’s Donic. Let’s go with a three on target from range. Defense was all over Donic, so he smartly uses a pick to get free to shoot. Brunson passes to Bridges. Up and over Donic. Bridges misses. Lakers trail by 17 and stolen by Brunson. Going inside, uses the glass on the layup. Man, the defense had the right idea, but Brunson is able to push through the contact. And so Smart will bring it up for Los Angeles. Aiden the screen on Brunson and it’s Smart missing. Knicks leading by 19. Pass to Brunson. It’s stolen by Smart. Outside Reeves from deep and it’s Brunson with the rebound now. Here’s Hart. Towns taking his time here. Three-pointer. Bridges. Aimura with a rebound. Aimura’s got six rebounds here tonight. Donic outside. Oh, and the jam by Aton. What goes up? Aton will throw down. They knew just when to pass him that ball. New York has gone four of six from deep thus far in the fourth. Bridges outside for three and Aiden pulls it down. Lakers trail by 17 on the wing. Reeves and Anobi covering from 13 and Aiden gets it to go. That gives him a double double in this one. Smooth shooting from the mid-range. Aiden knows when to look to score from there. [Music] Brunson against Smart. New York again can’t hit. Los Angeles has gone two of four from the perimeter here in the fourth quarter. Aimura finds Donic. Reeves with a screen on Bridges from deep. Here’s Donic. You know, the instincts of Luca Donuch are second to none. Such a natural playmaker. Here’s Brunson. And we’ll have a timeout called by Tom Thibido. He’s decided it’s time to clarify the situation, leaving little room for error. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. And the Knicks making a change here. Clarkson’s checked in. And the Lakers also making a change. James has checked in. Time now to hear from our reporter Ally Leforce. Hey guys, over the last break I listened to Tom Tibido address the team and despite the lead, they are still coaching this team hard. In the huddle, they told their guys to stay alert. Do not give them anything easy. They want to protect this late lead. BA. Okay, thanks Ally. Carson for three. Reeves with some nice D. Lakers trail by 13. Donic outside, knocks down the triple. Donic has got 12 points here in the second half. And his fantastic performance from the last game has carried over to tonight. He’s just riding the wave. The momentum right now, getting to his spots and keeping things simple on the offensive side. Here’s Brunson. Downs. Oh, he hangs in there and cashes in on the second chance points. And the Knicks lead by 12. He at 6’11 250 lbs. Towns is such a tough guy to keep off the glass. Pass to Reeves. Donic left side and a foul called on the way up. So he’ll take two from the free throw line. Take a break. Take a break. Two shots. [Music] That one misses. OG Anobi’s checked in for New York. [Applause] and he sinks the second. And here’s Bridges. He’ll bring it up for the Knicks. They led the game at one point by 20 outside. Hart from the arc. It’s out of bounds. They say it was last touch by Hachimura. Just a superb read on defense to come up with a block. Showing no signs of giving up this lead. That block sent shock waves into the opposition sails. [Music] Lakers on D. They trail by 11. Encouraging to see Donic hustle like this on defense, wanting to make an impact and doing just this. James outside, that one falls. Great set up by Donic. Donic has got seven assists in the game. Well, I guess we could give him credit for not getting discouraged. They’re still playing hard. He’s doing his job out there. Now, here’s Brunson up and over. And it’s Brunson missing. Nothing is going his way in this half offensively. Really having a hard time finding his shot. Re the pass to Aiden. Towns with a rebound. Towns has got rebound number 12 here already in the game. Pass the heart. Here’s Kobe. Aimura covering and he was fouled while in the act of shooting. So he’ll take two free throws. It’s on Ruy Aimura. Good whistle there. [Applause] And no good as the first free throw misses. We’ll see if he can hit the second. That’s good. Going one, two from the line and that’ll put him up by nine. Los Angeles has gone four of six from deep thus far in the fourth. From deep here’s Donic. The Knicks pull it in. Outside Brunson off target from outside. I think he’s gone completely dry. Nothing has hit him. Yeah. And the risk now is that he gets inside his head trying to take deep breaths in through the nose, out through the mouth and let the game come to you. Now his heart Jaylen Brunson playing big right now and this is a game they can build off of. They kept their focus all game long and it will get marked as a win for the Knicks. It’s impressive how the reserve players stepped up and delivered in this one. They didn’t just help out. They made a big impact and really secured the win for their team. And one of the league superstars, producing as he always does. What a terrific game for Carl Anthony Towns. Anytime they needed a bucket, they put the ball in his hands and say, “Go make a play.” It was impressive to watch. Here’s Brunson after the Lakers picking up a basket just moments ago. Six on the shot clock. Here’s Hart. Soft touch off the glass. And guys, that’s got to be the dagger. This is how you finish a game. And it felt like they just flipped the switch to go on that run and see it again. Saving their best basketball for the end. Always smart. Pass to James. Top of the key. Mark pulls it in. And so New York takes this one by a big margin. A competitive game. You have to feel like this crowd gave him a little extra edge. Yeah, they really fed off the energy. You saw their activity level go up. Just a tremendous performance. All right, let’s send it down to Alli Leforce who’s with our player of the game. All right, I’m with Carl Anthony Towns. Carl, congratulations on the victory. What was key in getting the win here tonight? Uh, I mean, we played like we wanted it more. You know, we came out here and we just did a lot of great defensive styles. It wasn’t offensive. It was more defensive. We did a great job. We got those 50-50 balls. Uh, put us in a nice position. We can see and feel that desperation congrats on the win. All right, Ellie. Good guys are lethal one-on-one, but I think the key is to keep their teammates involved playing unselfish basketball. So, let’s take a look at the Los Angeles Lakers starting lineup. Reeves at the two with LeBron at the three. DeAndre Aiden is out there with Ruachimura and it’s Donuchin at the point guard position. Hits a three-pointer. Encouraging to see Donic sink the three. Needs to keep doing this now. Brunson passes to Hart. Basket is good. Off the assist from Brunson. This is just fun. These teams are trading threes back and forth. This is today’s NBA. Hey, we see this kind of exchange more often than not. Nice shot by Reeves. No good. All right, let’s get a report from Alli. Tom Tibido gave me a few minutes to catch up with him. He spoke about LeBron James’ ability to completely control the game. They want to set the pace for themselves and make LeBron and his guys play catch-up. Coach said we have to play our branded basketball and not worry about who’s on the other side. Play our game, set the pace, and we should be all right. Back to you, VA. Okay, thank you, Ally. And the defense was right on him there. Nice contest, James. passes to Donic. Felix with the rebound. I thought he had that all shown up, but somehow the defense just threw him off. Pass to Towns. Here’s Hart. [Music] kicks it out. Towns the three ball. Count it. One for one to start the game. And that’s what makes Towns so dangerous offensively. He’s a threat even when he’s playing off the ball. Now here’s Donic. runs in defending and it’s Donic missing. And no matter what the chatter is out there, all Big Cat does is produce on a nightly basis. Two and that one falls for Towns. Offensively, Carl Anthony Towns is one of the most well-rounded big man in the league, Grant. Yeah, maybe in league history, BA. He’s an elite three-point shooter, postcore, and his passing is severely underrated. And so, Towns nails them both. It’s always nice to see a big fella be able to knock down some free throws and make teams pay from the line. Donic passes to Aiden. Back to Donic. And here’s James. Pass to Aiden. Now Reeves. Six on the shot clock. Here’s James. Laid it in with a nice touch off the window. Making the D look helpless. James is just locked in once he gets this close. [Music] [Applause] Donic against Brunson. Oh, Eaton with the block. And here’s Reeves. Donic outside. Goes up from the top of the key. Jaylen Brunson grabs a miss. And we’re about 3 minutes into this first quarter. Driving to the basket after missing his first attempt. now one for two. Knifing to the rim with ease, Brunson attacks these open lanes with tenacity. And we’ve got a timeout called by JJ Reic. We might see him looking to make some tweaks to the strategy here. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. down low. Oh, got a piece of it. Here’s Aiden. And a good offensive board and he gets the bucket. And this is where Aiden’s comfortable operating using his height and array of inside moves to his advantage. Bridges outside. Brunson passes to Hart. Brunson against Donic [Music] outside. Hart down to five on the shot clock. Another one falls for New York. Pick works well there, but the defense left a lot to be desired. Yeah, that just comes down to a lack of effort. The defender has to do a better job fighting through the screen. Now, here is James and a miss there on the triple. Donic against Hart. Pass to Bridges and stolen by Reeds. with the floater. Doesn’t go for him. Hard with the defensive effort and the Knicks with possession. They’re on a 12 to four run. Bridges outside the screen on Aimura. Bridges with it. Picked up by Reeves. Bridges misses. Lakers trail by five. to the paint and with the stuff with his length. Aton can easily get to the rim. In fact, he almost makes it look too easy. Brunson surveys. [Applause] Hard up top. Shot clock at six. And Bridges. Here we go. The shot no good. Los Angeles has gone one for three from beyond the arc. Well, Grant, one thing about this Knicks team, they have a clear identity. They have the mentality of their city, New York City. Playing the game with passionate and in-your-face attitude. And of course, these Knicks leave it all out on the floor. Now here’s Anobi still without a bucket. Hart passes to Bridges. It’s held in by Luca Donuch. And Donic has got the ball here for the Los Angeles Lakers. It’s a three-point game. Shot is up. James can’t get it to go. New York has won two of two at the perimeter. Arc passes to Anobi and the Knicks miss again. Lakers trail by three. They’ve been having major problems offensively. Definitely in a bit of a dry spell. Uses the glass to finish the layup. Attacking in the painted area. Clearly that was their game plan coming in. The Knicks have gone four of 10 shooting the rock in this first quarter. And timeout is called by Tom Thibido. He’s going to talk it over with his guys. Adjustments are a part of every game and every quarter of a game. I think coach sees something here. Yeah, this is a good opportunity to get your group together and make sure everyone is on the same page. [Music] Heat up here. Heat. Heat. And the Knicks making a change here. Robinson’s checked in and the Lakers also making a change. Vanderbilts checked in for Aimura. [Music] Art passes to Robinson outside Brunson. High arcing shot. James with the block. A versatile, talented defender. LeBron excels at using his athleticism and length to block so many shots. Hard with it now. Donic defending. Hard against Donic. Hard passes to Towns now. Bridges. Six to shoot to stop the crowd and the officials whistle a foul on the shot. The bucket is good and he’ll go to the line. Yeah, the agility of Bridges working around the impact of the foul to get his shot. First trip to the free throw line for him tonight. And the Lakers making a change here. Smarts checked in. [Applause] What’s up And Muel Bridges still one of the better wing defenders in the league, Greg. Yeah, he’s so great at pestering a shooter. Good lateral movement and wingspan makes him hard to get around. He might not be the best in the league, but he is well above average. Now here’s Smart. Pass to Donic. launches it. Mark pulls it in. This has not been his best quarter. Yeah, he needs to mix things up on the offense. He simply just can’t keep missing shots at this rate because he’s destroying his teammates. Gives us a chance to catch up with Alli Leforce. Thanks, Brian. The Knicks one of the top defensive teams in the league and it starts in the paint. Coach Tom said, quote, “We’ve prided ourselves on having a tight shell. We’ve got great rim protection, guys who take charges and were aggressive on the ball, guys. Great defense has always been tips mo. And nothing has changed now. Thanks, Ally. Now, here’s Towns. He’s got five. Robinson passes to Brunson, using his post moves to get the two points. And the Knicks lead by six. Now, he may only be 6’1, but Brunson plays much bigger than that. I mean, he plays with a physicality. Aiden finds Vanderbilt and he got the whistle on the way up, so he’ll be headed to the line for a pair. Los Angeles shooting their first shots from the free throw line tonight. The free throw drops for Vanderbilt. Clarkson’s checked in for New York. [Applause] [Music] Can’t hit the second. Knicks leading by five. And down low. Rebounded by the Lakers. Eightton’s got rebound number five here tonight. Donic outside [Music] to the middle. And there’s Aiden on the assist from Donic. Eightton’s got six. That is a strong move by Aton. He is merciless in there inside. He’s got his first free throws of the night right here. Shoot two. [Applause] No good on the free throw. And Los Angeles making a change here. Hayes has checked in. [Music] [Applause] [Music] Yeah, no luck at the stripe this time. Second one won’t fall. Lakers trail by three. Here’s Donic. Hart pulls it in. Hart’s got his fourth rebound in this one. Pass to Towns. over Vanderbelt. He’s in his comfort zone. Two for two to start this one. And Towns can make this shot in his sleep. It’s something the defense must guard closely. And so JJ Reick calls for the timeout and we might see some changes. Coach potentially looking to adjust. Heat. Heat. Heat up here. So for the Knicks, Male Bridges checked in for Hart and it’s McBry. in for Jaylen Brunson. And the Lakers also making a switch. Reeves is checked in. Here’s Reeves [Music] now. James back to Reeves. [Music] Just five to shoot. This James on the wing. Smart for three. The Knicks pull it in. McBride with it. Hayes picks him up. McBride can’t get it to go. And so James will bring it up for the Los Angeles Lakers. Trailing by five. Shoots from the elbow. Jump shot is good. James has gotten a second bucket on the night. A real threat from the in between area. LeBron wastes no time firing when he gets to that spot. Carson for three. It’s Hayes with the rebound. Lakers trail by three to the inside. Here’s Vanderbilt. The shots good on the assist by James. James has got three assists tonight. They’re punishing those late defensive rotations, getting good looks inside throughout the half. Now here’s Clarkson. Still no points. 114 left in the first. The put back. It’s good on the foot back and the Knicks lead by three. I always love the hard work on the glass. Just great activity [Music] outside Reeves. [Applause] Count it. Two for four from the field. Now, I know what they say, defense wins championships, but you need some bucket givers, too. Clarkson passes to Bridges. [Applause] Vanderel against Town. Out to Bridges. Screen by Bridges. Back to Robinson. Big finish by Robinson. An efficient facilitator. Clarkson gets the ball to the right gun. Lakers trail by three. Outside Reeves out left to the wing. Hayes finds James. Hayes with a screen inside. Robinson with a steal outside. McBride over Smart. Oh, he got it up in time, but it wouldn’t fall for him. So, at the end of one quarter of play, still a close game. Knicks out in front. They lead by three. And the second quarter is on its way when we return. [Music] Some good action already in this one, but a fairly even matchup after this first quarter of play. And guys, let’s get your take on the scoring breakdown for the Knicks. So far, they haven’t had to force anything. They’re swinging the ball around and turning good passing into points. Man, they’re just having their way bullying the other team in the painted area and posing their will down there whenever they want. Well, R.J., you got traded a couple of times for good reason. What’s it like off the floor? I don’t need your quips, DA. But it is crazy. You get a phone call and bam, you can move across the country. And while it’s hard on you, you understand it comes with playing in this league and having this job. We’ve got male Bridges. Jordan Clarkson is out there with Miles McBride. Then there’s Mitchell Robinson. And it’s Yamoselli in at the four. That’s the five for New York right now. Now here’s McBride. No made baskets yet. Charity stripe shot and off the front iron and in it goes. And the Knicks lead by five. Comfortable scoring it anywhere on the floor. Jordan Clarkson is instant offense. Here’s Reeves. It’s rebounded by McBride. That’s the shot they wanted. It just didn’t fall. It’s tough to watch those miss. I’m sure they’ll convert the next chance. 13 ft out. And the basket by Bridges. And now a seven-point New York lead. The mid-range isn’t a total no-go for Bridges. He can get that dialed in. Smart passes to Hayes. Now Smart. Back to Re. Hayes with a screen on Clarkson. Pass to Hayes. Good work defensively by Robinson. Knicks leading by seven. And he loves the rim. Now you up top hammer it home. You can really feel the momentum swinging in their direction. Yeah, but they can’t relax. They got to keep building on this lead because it is not safe. Now here’s Reeves over Clarkson. Shot is good by Reeves. Reeves has got his third basket of the night. Found some space to get off the mid-range and he’ll do damage from there if you let him. Outside Robinson pass to Bridges on the wing. Clarkson, he’s covered by Reeves. Clock at six and that one’s good. Clarkson. Clarkson’s got his second basket of the night. Good maneuver to get inside. Clarkson is sneaky. They’re searching for a way to score. Yeah, buckets have been very tough to come by. Smart for three and Smart nails the triple. And what kind of defense was that? You can’t give up wide open threes like that. What do you do? Here’s Bridges. Vanderbilt pulls it in. Vanderbilt’s got five rebounds tonight. [Applause] Heavy play to stop that easy layup right there. I mean, make him earn it at the line. These are his first free throws of the game. [Music] And the first one at the line is good. And Anobi, he’s checked in for McBride. Aimura’s checked in for the Lakers. [Applause] [Music] And he makes the first but misses the second. New York leading by five. Anobi for three. Sinks the tray. Anobi’s gotten himself going with a triple. His first basket of the game. And we think of Clarkson often as a score, but there making the unselfish pass. Just great work. And so JJ Reick calls for the timeout. I think right now he must be looking at some adjustments. Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. New York making a switch here. Towns has checked in. And the Lakers also making a change. James has checked in. [Music] Pass to Smart. Back to James. Shot clock at five. [Music] There’s the strength of the King. Yeah, just too much big boy basketball by LeBron James. Just bodying defenders inside. Well, Grant, even though it looks like LeBron could play forever, he stated that he doesn’t have much time left. Well, it’s unbelievable that he sustained this level of excellence for as long as he has. I would be surprised if you see this type of longevity ever again. New York shooting their sixth and seventh free throw attempts tonight. Take break. Right. Two shots. [Applause] [Music] And that one falls for Clarkson. And at this stage of his career, Clarkson really knows his role. A highly effective scorer who looks to decimate defenses. [Music] [Applause] And so Clarkson nails both of them. Lakers trail by eight. James passes to Reeves. Back to James. over on Anobi and it’s James inside. You got to appreciate LeBron’s shot selection. He looks to take high percentage shots whenever he can. And he loss it up top. It’s stolen by Smart. Here’s Hayes and finished off by Hayes. And that’s got to hurt. A turnover for a free run at the rim. And now we know who has the momentum. That’s the last thing you need to happen down the stretch. Let’s see how they respond to the devastating punch outside. Pass to Clarkson. Fires the three. Aimura with a rebound. Lakers trail by four. Seems like this offense is being executed the way it was designed. Yeah, I’m sure coach couldn’t be happier with the results. You can’t lose a shooter like him on the court. The ball will find its way to him and he will drill a three each time. Now here’s Robinson. He has six. Towns passes to Anobi. Carson for three. It’s rebounded by Los Angeles outside. James outside, fires from deep and it’s New York with a rebound. Robinson’s got his sixth rebound on the night. Anobi against Aimura. [Music] Left side. Anobi. He’s getting his first free throw attempts of the night now. [Applause] The first one falls Jaylen Brunson. He’s checked in for New York. The Lakers also with a sub. Donic has checked in for Smart. That’s also good. So he hits both free throws. Lakers trail by three. All right, let’s check in with Ally Leforce. Jaylen Brunson’s craft sets him apart. He said, quote, “I’ve always played with my instincts and tried to see the game and put the plays ahead. As I’ve gotten older, that part of my game has gotten wiser and better, but I’m still learning. Brian, that’s a scary thought for the rest of the league.” He’s already plenty dangerous, all Reeves. The pass to Donic. And here we go. The Knicks in transition on the run out. Brunson finishes at the rim. The steal, the break, the hoop from Brunson. He’s just doing it all on his own. Aimura outside. Donic finds Aimura. Donic with it. And Bridges picks him up defensively. Six to shoot. And it’s Donic missing. New York leading by five. [Music] Oh, there’s the alley. And a big finish by Robinson and the lead increases on a crazy offensive sequence. Man, the dunk alone would have been incredible. Let alone the fact that it came off a 10-point pass. Reeves against Bridges. Pass to Brunson. Back to Bridges. Towns outside now. Anobi checked by James for three. Bridges in coming off an assist from Town. And now a 10-point Nick lead. Oh, productive from back there. Bridges showing the range. Aimura outside. Pass to James. Hayes with a screen on Anobi to win the run. It’s James with the drive. [Music] Anobi against Hayes. Brunson with it. Towns. A screen on Donic. Here’s Brunson outside and the Knicks. Another three. You some threes look better than others and Brunson’s lefty stroke from three is a beautiful thing. James outside. And he can’t answer back. The three-pointer offline on the wing. Checked by James. Donic against Brunson. To the middle. It’s stolen by Donic. And the ball goes out of bounds. Last touch by Donic. And the Lakers with some changes. Vanderbilt comes in for Hayes and Smart subbed in for Reeves. [Applause] And so it’s Brunson with it. He brings it up for the New York Knicks. This is the most they’ve led. 13 points. [Music] Anobi a screen on Vanderbilt. Pass to Anobi. It’s stolen by James. It’s an even threeon-ree break. Here’s Aimura. The shots good on the assist by James. James has got his fourth assist in this one. And here’s New York now. It’s a 122 run here. Good pace. Here’s Yoselli. They set the screen. Back to Brunson. It’s stolen by Smart to the paint. Hey, great communication on the lob. All eyes on Luca. The defense forgot about his teammates. Knicks leading by nine. Towns outside. Pass to Ananobi. Clarkson outside. Three-pointer. No good. And he continues to cast away, but the results just haven’t been there tonight. Smart passes to Donic 43 and the rebound goes to the Knicks. There’s Brunson. Nine points in the game. Six on the shot clock. James with the rebound and he’s very confident from that range, but he can’t make him off. Smart passes to James up again. Controls the rebound and the put back. And those second chance buckets are major bonus points if you can get them. New York leading by seven. Pass to Towns. Back to Brunson. Brunson with the finish inside. Brunson doesn’t fear going in amongst the trees. Remarkable poise there inside. Smart against Brunson. Machimura right side. 46 seconds left to play in the half from deep. Here’s Donic. Luca lethal. And I love Donic’s shot selection. So smart at knowing when to shoot it. Outside Anobi [Music] Towns on a screen. Oh, and there’s the whistle on the shot. So, two free throws for him coming up. It’s on LeBron James. Man, he made sure to get his money’s worth on that foul. And he’ll take his third and fourth free throws of the night. [Applause] Take a break. Take a break. Two shots. [Music] That free throw is good from Anovi. Josh Hart’s checked in for New York. Bridges comes in for Clarkson. Aiden, he’s checked in for Los Angeles. Reeves comes in for Smart. [Music] That one falls. So he hits both of them. Lakers trail by eight. James with the ball. 10 points for him. Now to Aimura. The shots good on the assist by James. Aimura’s got five. The execution has been better lately. But do they have enough energy to pull it off? The thing they have to watch for is mental fatigue. They have to stay focused and finish the job. And a pretty tightly contested game here as we end the first half. New York out in front up five. Well, now a minute to check in with Ally Leforce. She’s courtside. Hey Ally. All right. Thanks, Tibs. What do you think about the way this team defended in the first half? Well, not bad, but we have to sustain it for the entire game. They put a lot of pressure on you. We got to make sure we’re containing our dribble penetration and then we got to react on challenge shots. The expectations are high for the second half. Thanks, coach. All right, good stuff, Ally. And we’ll get back to the action at the start of the third quarter. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Applause] And if you is joining us. We played through the first half in a game that’s been fairly even so far. You look at Jaylen Brunson, what a contribution. They’ve leaned on him to provide a lot of offense, and that’s how he likes him. He always wants to be a go-to guy for them. I’m sure he’ll be calling for the ball even more in this half. [Music] And Brunson’s got the ball here for New York. 13 points was their biggest lead of the game. And so in the game for Los Angeles at the forward slot, it’s LeBron and Aimura. Luca Donic is out there with Austin Reeds. And it’s Aiden in at the five. And no matter how the D’s coming at him tonight, Brunson has adapted. And that’s what great scorers do. They figure it out. Now here’s Reeds. [Music] Kicks it to Donic. Pass to Aton. Five on the clock. The Lakers got to get one up. Late clock. James can’t get it to go. Knicks leading by seven. Hard passes to Brunson. The three is up. Bronson missing again. The Lakers shooting 44%. A pretty decent clip. Well, I don’t think anyone predicted that Jaylen Brunson would become the player he is today, Grant. Yeah, that’s for sure, BA. Or he definitely wouldn’t have been a second round pick. He’s a hard worker, a competitor, and an elite offensive player. Here’s Reeves. Nice D from Bridges. Reeves has gotten just four of his 10 shots to fall here. Hard passes to Bridges. Now Towns gets rebounded by Los Angeles. Hayden’s got six rebounds now in the game. Pass to Aimura. And here’s Aiden covered by Towns. Now here’s Dantic. [Music] Oh, and he took a hard foul on the shot. So he’ll head to the line to shoot a pair. Jaylen Brunson picks one up. And you can’t let Donets get this type of positioning because then you’re pretty much forced to foul him. Los Angeles shooting their fifth and six free throw attempts tonight. Shoot two. [Music] That’s good from Donic. And Donis is a walking triple double threat. His versatility and confidence is really special. [Applause] [Music] And that one goes in. Two from the line that time. Two minutes gone in this third quarter. Now Bridges feel peeling it out a little bit. Here he goes. Goes to the reverse layup and drops it in. Bridges has got 10 points. Big guy with a long stride. Bridges. This man can blitz the hoop. Donic against Brunson with the step back. Tonic throwing his weight around. Nice move to get inside and create a good look for himself. New York leading by five. outside Anobi. Just over two and a half minutes gone by in the second half. Art passes to Towns. He gets it in there. He’s got nine. Hard to find fault with the D. Towns just are eating them with better offense there. And so JJ Reick calls for the timeout. He wants a few moments to regroup with his players. [Music] Heat up here. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] Lakers trail by Seven. Donic outside. James left side. Shot clock at six. [Music] The three is up. Oh, James knocks down the triple. Getting that little bit of help. James calls for the pick and roll. shake up the defense and find himself a quality lay pass to Bridges. And here’s Anobi. Here’s Hart. The floater. It’s good. And he drew contact on the shot. So, he will go to the line. A three-point play opportunity. And this is his first trip to the line tonight. [Applause] [Music] [Music] And that one misses. Lakers trail by six. Here’s James. LeBron fires one down. Now look, a coach is going to trust LeBron James to just put up monster numbers cuz that’s who he is. But it is nice to see him get into a nice groove like this. Hard with a screen on James. Here’s Anobi. Oh, it’s blocked. It deflects off the backboard. Pass break. Here come the Lakers. hand. He’s going to the line for two. The officials saw contact while he was going up. What I appreciate about LeBron is how much he loves being a leader. He knows how much his teammates count on him. And a chance for a moment to check out the scoring breakdown for the Knicks. You’ve got to be impressed with how assertive they are on offense, continuing to cut hard to the rim time and time again. They’ve also been striking from mid-range with great consistency tonight. They just owned that part of the floor in this one. That free throw good from James. But how about LeBron? Even if he’s no longer the clearcut best player in the league, he can still take over a game. RJ, oh, make no mistake. He is still the best when he needs to be. Absolutely has a switch that gets flipped when he needs it. He’s not on for 48 minutes, but he can definitely turn it on for a few. Both free throws good from James. And so it’s Brunson who brings up the ball for New York. 13 points was their biggest lead of the game. Oh, Brunson off the bump. Yeah, he was able to sneak it to the rim. Enough room to get just like an easy layup outside. Reeves against Donic. James left side. James takes the hit and sinks the shot. Good work on the block. I like when LeBron gets aggressive this close to the rim. Brunson finds Anobi. [Music] Bridges. A screen on James. Bridges outside from downtown. It’s rebounded by Los Angeles. Yeah, you know, he usually makes you pay from that range down low. Here’s Donic. And Donic hammers it home. A guard that can truly do it all. Donic has tremendous power. Bridges outside. Pass to Anovi. Hard with it. Brunson with it. Check by James. Pocket four. And it’s Brunson missing. Los Angeles has gone one of two shooting from the perimeter since halftime outside. Reeves against Bridges. Konic on the wing. Back to Reeves with the lead and Anobi pulls it down. New York has gone 0 for two from outside here in the third. Donic against Brunson. And they double up Brunson. Pass to Towns. Back to Brunson. Rejected by James. And it’s going to be out of bounds. New York will have another go. And the fans love seeing incredible moments on defense like that block. Yeah, obviously he had the shot well anticipated. able to shut it down with authority. Robinson, he’s checked in for Anobi. Vanderbilt’s checked in for Los Angeles. And we’ll have a timeout called by Tom Thibido. He wants to make sure everybody’s on the same page. Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Both loose. Clock at two. Fires away from way outside and they’ll turn it over. Couldn’t get the shot off. A shot clock violation. [Applause] [Music] Now here’s Donic. He’s got 12. James deciding where to go with it. And he misses the go ahead basket. The Knicks have gone five of 11 in this third quarter. Towns outside to win the draft and Jaylen Brunson gets the whistle that time. That’s foul number two for him. Just such good vision from Brunson. He’s able to spot a guy ready to attack. Lakers trail by three. [Music] Outside Reeves. Pass to James. Just five on the clock. Donic outside. There’s the triple. It’s hauled in by Robinson. Robinson’s got nine rebounds in the game. Boy, he’s getting it done. Outside Brunson. Towns left side to the paint outside. part. Towns a screen on James. New York needs to get one up quick. The timer ticks. Towns can’t get it to go. Just terrible defense. I don’t know how he missed that shot. Reeves the pass to Vanderbelt. And there’s a whistle. He’ll head to the line to shoot two. This is his second trip to the free throw line in this one. [Music] That free throw dropped for Vanderbilt. [Music] That one’s no good. The Knicks with the lead. Here’s Bridges. Yes. And a nice assist from Brunson. Brunson’s got four assists now tonight. Look at that catch and shoot ability from Bridges. Not all forwards have that skill. Now here’s Donic. He’s got 12. Aiden. A screen on Brunson from deep. Here’s Donic. And it’s New York for the rebound. Robinson’s got rebound number 11. Here’s Towns and it’s powered home by Towns. Yeah, going right for the iron. Towns musling his way through. Reeds the pass to Aton. Back to Donic. Pass to Aiden. Donic is doubled outside. Reeves the three. That’s bucket number five. He’s 5 for 12 now. Well, if they’re doubling you, then you know someone is open to shoot. It’s a smart move passing it out. And he almost made them regret defending him so loosely. Here’s James. He’s covered by Hart. It’s stolen by Hart. [Music] Pass to Brunson. with the 10-footer and Aiden pulls it down. Aiden’s got nine rebounds now. This James on the wing [Music] outside Reeves. Aiden, a screen on Bridges. Good try by Reeves. Nice D from Bridges. Knicks leading by three. [Music] Outside Brunson pass to Towns. Offensive rebound for three. Bridges and he stays with it. The three. That’s good from Towns on the assist from Bridges. Towns has got 10 points in just the second half. Lakers trail by six. Now here’s Donic. Outside Vanderbilt puts up a three and the rebound goes to the Knicks. Towns has got seven rebounds in the game. Bridges outside. Oh, and he got fouled on his way up. He’ll head to the line to shoot two. Austin Reeves picks one up. Well, Bridges isn’t the biggest guy, but he is a fighter. Well, Richard, he’s the iron man of the NBA right now. Raquel Bridges takes pride in being available on a nightly basis. We’ve all heard it before. The best ability is availability and Bridges does whatever it takes to not miss games. More teams need to take this mindset. That’s good from Bridges. I consider Muel Bridges a high motor player. He’s always ready to turn up his energy if he thinks it will help him get the better of him. [Applause] [Music] Bridges hits them both and Reeves has got the ball here for Los Angeles. Eight-point game. Pass to Smart. Here’s connect. Fires for three. The shot won’t fall. Nice D from Bridges. Clarkson against Smart. Graviselli fires in the triple. You can’t lose a shooter like him on the court. The ball will find its way to him and he will drill a three each time. Carson against Reeves. They need this. And the layup is good. Reeves has got five points now in the quarter. Showing off the dribble moves. Able to create for himself. I love it. Pass to Clarkson. And he lays it up and in. Clarkson’s got eight. You got to bring more fire than that to stop Clarkson. He’s a pro at fending off tight defense. And here’s Smart. Oh, Smart drives. Six to shoot. Pass to Vanderbilt from deep Reeves. The rebound by Yoselli. And here’s New York now. They’re on a 17-6 run. McBride passes to Clarkson. [Music] Screen by Robinson. [Music] Shoots from 14. It’s been all about Carl Anthony Towns for New York. He put together 10 points in the quarter. More 2K action in just a moment. [Applause] [Music] And let’s take this opportunity to show you our State Farm assist of the game. You know, I’m kind of stoked that this was the choice because I love this pass. A remarkable find. He put his court vision on full display. There wasn’t a better pass in the game. Almost like he had a six sense. And we reach the fourth quarter in a game that may already be out of hand. Mitchell Robinson is out there with Carl Anthony Towns. Then it’s OG Anomi. Then there’s Miles McBride. And it’s Clarkson in at the two. So that’s who’s on the floor for the Knicks. Back to Smart. [Music] Here’s Connect. He’s covered by Clarkson. Oh, it’s blocked by Towns. And look at that reach. I mean, Towns just say no. Passes to Clarkson. Towns on a screen. Launches a three. It’s rebounded by Los Angeles. Oh man, for whatever reason, he can’t get it going from three. And he’s pretty good from there. Pass to Smart. Out to James. That’s in coming off an assist from Smart. James has got 22 points. When you’re guarding LeBron, you have to give him something. So the King, well, he’ll take a three-point basket. Towns outside. This one for three. Nails it from beyond the arc. Give him 20. This is just fun. These teams are trading threes back and forth. This is today’s NBA. Hey, we see this kind of exchange more often than not. Now here’s Himura and the shot goes. The selfless attitude of James. When someone on his team has a clean look, look, he feeds him. Knicks leading by nine now. Clarkson Towns outside, takes the three. Nice shot there, making him eight for 13. And just totally relentless, only increasing the intensity level. Always plays hard until the final whistle, no matter what the situation is. Now, here is James. Count that one. And it’s the level of creativity that separates LeBron. It’s second to none cuz he’s such an incredible ball handler. Also McBride with it defended by Smart. Towns right side from down in the low post it goes. Towns has got 18 points in just the second half. Lakers trail by 12. Just under two and a half minutes gone by now in the final.
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