March 6, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) shoots the ball against Denver Nuggets guard Julian Strother (3) in the 10th minute of the second half at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Image Over the past six weeks, the New York Knicks have resembled a team many expected to make another playoff run.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Lakers remain atop the Pacific division despite recent poor results.
After an impressive showing to start their five-game road trip, the Knicks can close out their four-game winning streak on Sunday afternoon when they visit the Lakers, looking for their fourth straight home win and two games ahead of the play-in bubble.
New York lost four straight, nine of 11 games from January 14-19. Since then, the Knicks have gone 16-5 and have scored more than 120 points eight times in that span. That includes Friday’s impressive 142-103 win over the Denver Nuggets at altitude.
New York scored the second-most points and had the second-best shooting performance, hitting 57.9 percent despite Jalen Brunson’s nine points on 3-of-13 shooting.
The Knicks showed they can make up for Brunson’s quiet night as OG Anunoby scored a season-high 34 points, Josh Hart had 18 and Karl Anthony-Towns had 17 points and 13 rebounds for his fifth straight double-double.
“This team has depth and is really good,” New York coach Mike Brown said. “These guys are connected. They’re all sacrificing. There’s a competitive spirit. They believe in each other. Our bench has been out every game.
“The game was delayed because our benches were ready for each other. And we held each other accountable. I held myself accountable as well. That’s a really good thing.”
The Lakers lost 112-100 against New York on February 1, coming from a 60-44 deficit in the second half in the last game Austin Reaves missed due to a right calf injury. Los Angeles immediately won three games in a row, defeating the Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, and Golden State Warriors.
Since Feb. 7, Los Angeles has split its last 12 contests, but is 4-1 in its last five since a three-game losing streak from Feb. 22-26.
The Lakers surpassed 120 points for the fourth time since the All-Star break with a 128-117 win over the Indiana Pacers. Luka Doncic scored 44 points in three quarters as the Lakers shot 52.9% and made 17 3s.
“I had my legs,” Doncic said. “They were working, but we had to win this game, so we came out aggressive and made a statement.”
Doncic had his 10th 40-point game of the season, becoming just the fourth player in team history to have at least 10 40-point games in a season, joining Hall of Famers Kobe Bryant, Elgin Baylor and Jerry West.
A big game from Doncic was needed after LeBron James and DeAndre Ayton sat out. James missed the game after suffering a bruised left elbow in Thursday’s 120-113 loss at Denver, and Ayton sat with knee soreness that limited him 4 1/2 minutes into Thursday’s opener.
James is day-to-day but appears more likely to play, while Ayton could sit out again with a lingering illness.
Without James and Ayton, the Lakers put Jackson Hayes and Rui Hachimura in the starting frontcourt. The duo combined for 22 points and 7 rebounds, and the Lakers got 19 points from Reaves and 15 from Luke Kennard.
“Playing winning basketball and playing a team that has a winning record definitely gives you some confidence in the group,” Kennard said. “But I know the close games we’ve lost recently, and I know we’ve done a really good job. We know what we have in the locker room and in this group.”
–Field level media
