Lakers 129, Knicks 123 (OT): Scenes from the unfortunate return of Bad Julius

Feb 1, 2023 - 3:38 AM

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As soon as it was announced that LeBron James and Anthony Davis were sitting out the Lakers’ Monday night game in Brooklyn (the severely short-handed Lakers lost, of course) just so both could play at MSG, every long-time Knicks fan knew where Tuesday night’s game was headed. Sure enough, LeBron dropped a 28-point triple-double and Davis added 27 points of his own in a Lakers victory.

But with the Knicks, it’s always about the journey — the painful, maddening journey. Even when we know a loss is coming, there’s still some surprising bullshit in store. A good example would be this Dennis Schroder buzzer-beater to end the first half.

But the worst bullshit was saved for the end of the game, as the Knicks got the ball back with 3.9 remaining thanks to some classic Jalen Brunson toughness.

Everybody assumed Brunson, who was cooking the Lakers all evening, would get a chance to win the game. But the Knicks are coached by Tom Thibodeau. Instead, he drew up a wack-ass possession for Julius Randle, who was playing what was clearly his worst game of the season and was also being guarded by Anthony Davis. Randle didn’t get a shot off, and the overtime period was no contest. Late-game Knicks offense remains a travesty.

Recap to come.