Especially encouraging was the way he and Davis bullied the Knicks in the paint down the stretch. Add in the continuing two-way brilliance of Davis - 28 points, 17 rebounds and 4 blocks and 3 steals - and it was enough for the team to outscore the Knicks in the second half to actually complete a comeback, rather than falling just short like they normally have this season. The 37-year-old looked spry in his first game back from a five-game absence, getting to the basket at will to finish the night with 29 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists, even closing the game out with a tip dunk in overtime.

native getting booed by fans at home - ensured the Lakers looked hopeless.īut while Westbrook never got much better on this night, Monk made sure it didn’t matter in a sensational third quarter during which he hit shots so audacious they might make Stephen Curry blush.Īnd thanks to the return of James, Monk had some help. Russell Westbrook (5 points on 1-10 shooting, 4 turnovers) played one of his most actively damaging offensive games of the season, and in the first half, his awful shooting - in combination with a completely toothless bench lineup was so bad that it led to the L.A. The 21-point comeback was the Lakers’ largest of the season, and biggest since 2015. And while it looked horrible for 24 minutes as RJ Barrett went off for 21 points over the first two quarters and the purple and gold trailed by 20 for a good chunk of the first half, Monk exploded for 18 of his 29 points in the third quarter to bring the Lakers all the way back and help them ultimately close out the New York Knicks, 122-115. LeBron James was back, Malik Monk started over Avery Bradley, and Lakers fans got what they wanted.

Lakers vs knicks score