It was too much Julius Randle and too much Knicks defense for the Lakers to handle.
The Lakers (33-21) are statistically the No. 1 defense in the NBA – based on the all-important defensive efficiency rating in points per 100 assets. But Tom Thibodeau’s Knicks showed the Lakers Monday at the Garden that numbers can sometimes lie.
Yes, this is Lakers Lite, but Randle took 34 points and the Knicks’ crushing defense hampered the gold-clad defending champions in a 111-96 victory. It was the Knicks’ third straight win to push their record to 28-27.
Randle punished his former team one night when RJ Barrett’s hot streak ended. 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” stands up for the Lakers.
Barrett was winless in the first half, finishing with only seven points, 2 to 11.
The Lakers are still without injured Anthony Davis and James, who could be gone for another three weeks. But the Knicks scored 14 stems and centered Nerlens Noel and Taj Gibson together for five blocks.
Plenty of Lakers fans were among the 2,000 pandemic Garden crowd with their sweaters and noise. But the ‘MV-P’ chants at the end of the fourth quarter were for Randle – not James, with a heavy hamstring load.
Last Friday, No. 1 overall pick Anthony Edwards called the Knicks the toughest defense he’s seen this season – better than the Lakers.
It is a feeling that is growing. Ahead of the match, Thibodeau said their defensive image has earned the league’s respect.
“Overall, it’s an important step for our team to start our defense,” said Thibodeau before the game. “And we wanted that to be a big part of our foundation. And hopefully that’s something you can do every you can count on during the night: your defense, your rebound, keeping your turnover low. ”
Randle, the former Lakers lottery pick, hit his first four shots, scoring 19 runs in the first half. He was 7 of 11 from the field, as the Knicks were leading 55-52 at half time.
The already battered Lakers played with ailing point guard Denis Schroder, who will be a free agent this summer. Despite a pelvic injury, a stumbling Schroder scored 16 points in the half with his dribble penetration, finishing with 21 points. The Knicks will likely be interested in Schroder this summer.
Barrett was winless in the first half, going 0-for-6, 0-for-2 from the three-point series. Only Randle made a 3-point shot in the first half, but their defense was good enough to grab the lead.
The Knicks also got prolific play from point guard Elfrid Payton, who got hot late in the half with his penetration floaters, finishing with 20 points to make up for Barrett’s no-show.