Porzingis, Beasley help Knicks edge Lakers 113-109 in OT
NEW YORK (AP) - Lonzo Ball was having a dazzling stretch, every basket bringing his father farther and farther off his courtside seat for an emphatic celebration.
By the end, the New York Knicks were the ones celebrating.
Kristaps Porzingis had 37 points and 11 rebounds, Michael Beasley made the biggest plays in overtime, and the Knicks beat the Los Angeles Lakers 113-109 on Tuesday night.
Beasley finished with 13 points, including the tiebreaking follow shot, and had an assist in the extra period as the Knicks went back over .500 at 14-13. Thirteen of their victories have come at Madison Square Garden.
Rookie Frank Ntilikina went the whole fourth quarter and overtime in a strong defensive effort that helped slow down Ball after his third-quarter flurry.
"A lot of effort, big plays, just keeping our poise on the court, not being stressed and not being overrun by the moment," Ntilikina said. "So I mean that was great and for a young team like this to play like that, it's a huge step in our process."
Ball had 17 points, eight rebounds and six assists, but had just two points after the third quarter.
"It was a lot of fun. I heard the crowd the whole game. It was crazy," he said. "Would have been nice if we got the win, but it was very eventful."
Ball went high to slam down a lob pass from Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, nailed a 3-pointer, drove for a layup, and then fed Brook Lopez for a 3-pointer in the third, with LaVar Ball jumping up with arms waving from his sideline seat next to Lithuania-bound sons LiAngelo and LaMelo.
"I know how he is," Lonzo said of his father. "I like his energy. Some people don't."
The Knicks essentially won it with Beasley's stretch of a tip-in, a pass inside to Doug McDermott for a basket, and a driving layup that turned a 103-all game into a 109-103 lead with 1:24 remaining in the overtime.
"Just thinking go get the win, try to do everything the team needs," Beasley said. "Dive on the floor. Just the little things."
Caldwell-Pope scored 24 points for the Lakers, who had won two in a row on their trip. Rookie Kyle Kuzma added 19 points off the bench.
"We were right there. It says a lot about our group of guys and the way they compete and how far they've come to be in a road game with that type of environment on national TV," coach Luke Walton said. "Obviously disappointed that we weren't at our best, but still finding a way to give ourselves a chance and I'm proud of our group for that."
The Knicks were in good shape when Porzingis' basket made it 99-94 with 1:29 remaining in regulation and Ball threw away a pass. But Caldwell-Pope tipped in a miss and Kuzma made a 3-pointer to tie it with 23.9 seconds to go, before Porzingis missed a 3 at the buzzer.
TIP-INS
Lakers: Brandon Ingram missed his first 10 shots before a three-point play with 40 seconds left that made it 79-76 heading to the fourth. Ingram finished with five points on 2-for-12 shooting. He entered as the Lakers' leading scorer and averaged 19.2 points in the previous 11 games, scoring in double digits in all of them.
Knicks: Former Knicks forward Amare Stoudemire was at the game and led a countdown to the lighting of a menorah on the overhead videoboard to celebrate the start of Hanukkah. It was the seventh anniversary of Stoudemire setting a franchise record with his eighth straight 30-point game.
LUKE ON JACKSON
Walton, who played for Phil Jackson with the Lakers, said he still talks to his former coach. He was asked his feelings about Jackson's departure in June after three seasons as Knicks president.
"I don't know all the details on what was going on here," Walton said. "Obviously a mentor to me like that, someone that means as much to me as Phil does, I'm not in favor of it happening. But again, I'm coaching on the West Coast and I'm not around out here to see everything and how and why everything played out the way it did."
ROUGH ROAD
The Lakers are about to enter one of the toughest stretches of the season for an NBA team. They visit LeBron James and Cleveland on Thursday, return home to host the defending champion Warriors on Monday, welcome NBA-leading Houston on Dec. 20, and visit Golden State on Dec. 22.
UP NEXT
Lakers: Visit Cleveland on Thursday.
Knicks: Visit Brooklyn on Thursday.
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