It was too much Julius Randle and too much Knicks defense for the Lakers to handle.
Lakers (33-21) are statistically defending no. 1 in the NBA – based on the extremely important number of defensive efficiency in terms of points per 100 possessions. But Tom Thibodeau’s Knicks showed the Lakers on Monday at the Garden that sometimes the numbers can lie.
Yes, this is the Lakers Lite, but Randle accumulated 34 points, and Knicks’ crushing defense prevented the gold-clad defense champions in a 111-96 victory. It was Knicks’ third straight win to increase his record to 28-27.
Randle punished his former team one night, the end of RJ Barrett’s hot series. Randle, who played four seasons for the Lakers and left when LeBron James arrived, shot 13 of 23. Randle said before the game that he “always” gets up for the Lakers.
Barrett was scoreless in the first half and finished with just seven points, reaching 2 of 11.
The Lakers are still without injured Anthony Davis and James, who could be out for another three weeks. But the Knicks ticked 14 steals and centered Nerlens Noel and Taj Gibson combined for five blocks.
There were plenty of Lakers fans on hand among the 2,000-pound garden pandemic crowd with T-shirts and noise. But the “MV-P” chants at the end of the fourth quarter were for Randle – not for James, with a severe hamstring strain.
Last Friday, the general election no. 1, Anthony Edwards, called the Knicks the toughest defense he has faced this season – better than the Lakers.
It’s a growing feeling. Before the match, Thibodeau said that their defensive image won the respect of the league.
“Overall, it’s an important step for our team to start with our defense,” Thibodeau said before the game. “And we wanted it to be a big part of our foundation. And we hope that this thing you can rely on every night is your defense, your comeback, keeping your turnover low. ”
Randle, the former Lakers lottery player, hit the first four shots and scored 19 points in the first half. It was 7 of 11 on the field, with the Knicks leading 55-52 at the break.
The already beaten Lakers are playing with the struggling goalkeeper Denis Schroder, who will be a free agent this summer. Despite a pelvic injury, a crowded Schroder accumulated 16 points in the half with his dribbling penetration and finished with 21 points. The Knicks will likely have an interest in Schroder this summer.
Barrett was scoreless in the first half, going 0-for-6, 0-for-2 in the 3-point range. Only Randle made a 3-point shot in the first half, but the defense was good enough to take the lead.
The Knicks also got a productive game from goalkeeper Elfrid Payton, who warmed up late in the half with his penetration floats and finished with 20 points to make up for Barrett’s absence.