Luka Donsic stared at the officials and insisted the phone while the Knicks drove the ball in the opposite direction.
It was such a night.
LeBron James pushed Karl Anthony’s town against the paint and worked with everything he had to stop.
That was the atmosphere.
JJ Reddick, who overseen the defense at the right time and at the right place for over a month, turned to the crowd in helpless frustration as the Lakers struggled to stop.
That was the second quarter.
And the Austin Raves, who played for the first time since suffering a calf injury, spiked the ball from the head in town after taking a shot.
It was such a struggle.
Lakers guard Austin Reeves attempts to drive New York Knicks guard Miles McBride early Thursday.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Through this, the Lakers fought. They dig into energy reserves and found a way to continue. And when it seemed there was nothing left to give, the Lakers found a way to win eight straight games.
Donsic scored the first five points of overtime, and James hit four critical free throws to win a 113-109 comeback victory over the New York Knicks at crypto.com arena on Thursday night.
“We’re building more chemistry with these games,” Donsic said. “These games are really sweet to win.”
After the Lakers (40-21) gathered from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter, Donsic hit the fadeaway with the first possession of overtime and a three-pointer for rainbow, chasing the Knicks (40-22).
And after Jalen Brunson, who was unable to contain all the games, he left the game with an ankle injury, and James iced it for the Lakers on his final free throw.
Lakers guard Gabe Vincent responds when defending New York Knicks guard Jalen Branson (11) in the first half.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
“Our peers really beat the victory, something that felt like a playoff game at times,” Reddick said.
During a big play from the Lakers star, Reeves attacked the three-pointer (the first game of his first game) to keep his comeback on track. Before that, Dalton Knecht finished three quarters with three, and Gabe Vincent hit the fourth three-pointer trio.
“Gabe won the game,” Donsic said.
And the Lakers’ defense, struggling with transitions and glass, was strengthened to the fourth, bringing New York to 15 points with a 14th shooting and two shots in overtime.
“The defense gave up 15 points in the fourth quarter and put on a hat when he wasn’t shooting the ball well,” James said. “We didn’t shoot the ball well for quite some time, especially from the three-point arc. But after we put our hats on the defense, those outside shots started to flow.”
Lakers Center Jackson Hayes, left, New York Knicks will advance the scramble for a loose ball late Thursday.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Donsic led the Lakers with 32 points and 12 assists, while James added 31 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists. In addition to the returning Reeve, they combined and missed 20 out of 27 3-point attempts. But the hot shooting from Knecht and Vincent, coupled with Doncic and Reaves’ timely basketball, helped complete the perfect six-game homestand where they saw the Lakers control their second in the Western Conference.
The Lakers held a four-game trip in Boston on Saturday, followed by stops in Brooklyn, Milwaukee and Denver.
“We have to approach the next game with the same mentality. We go by game,” Donsic said. “We know we’ve done some tough stretches, but we have to approach these games with the same mentality.”
