Jaxson Hayes remembered the bruising the Lakers got at Madison Square Garden a month ago when the New York Knicks bullied them on the boards, outscored them by 14 in the second half and had six players score in double figures. Hayes was happy to return the favor Sunday in the Lakers’ 110-97 win at Crypto.com Arena.
“I just feel like we owed them that one,” the Lakers center said.
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The wire-to-wire win over the Knicks (41-24) was only the second time since early November that the Lakers (39-25) recorded a win over a team with a record of .600 or better. They improved to 5-12 against such teams after losing 12 of their last 13 games against the league’s upper echelon. With the win and a tiebreaker against Denver, the Lakers moved into fifth in the Western Conference. They play fourth-place Minnesota (40-24) on Tuesday.
Here are three takeaways from Sunday’s win:
Lakers show their playoff mentality
Lakers center Jaxson Hayes, left, dives for a loose ball next to Knicks forward OG Anunoby in the first half Sunday. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Hayes crawled across the floor for loose balls. Marcus Smart stepped in front of driving opponents. Jarred Vanderbilt leaped into the laps of front-row fans.
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With energy and focus from every player, the Lakers delivered one of their best defensive efforts of the season despite circumstances that could have made Sunday’s game a snoozer.
The Lakers were playing their third game in four days. Losing an hour of sleep because of daylight saving time had Rui Hachimura sleepwalking into the arena Sunday morning for a 12:30 p.m. tip. Hoping to wake himself up, the Lakers forward said he got into the hot tub when he arrived.
Players tried to hype themselves up in the locker room by blasting music. Instead of listing three defensive keys before the game, coaches whittled the game plan to one focus: multiple efforts.
Read more: Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves carry LeBron-less Lakers to win over Knicks
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“It wasn’t gonna be an offensive game,” coach JJ Redick said. “This was gonna be a gritty, tough game that we had to win with effort. And we did that.”
Smart led that effort with a game-high plus-27 in 29 minutes and 17 seconds. He drew two charges. His signature moment didn’t even show up in the game play-by-play. After Luka Doncic turned the ball over with 2.2 seconds remaining in the third quarter, Smart hustled back to force Jordan Clarkson to pass the ball at the buzzer, keeping the Knicks from getting a last-second layup attempt. Smart walked to the bench with his arms extended like a defensive back who had just broken up a touchdown pass.
The Knicks were held to less than 100 points for only the seventh time and had their fourth-worst three-point shooting performance of the season, going eight for 34. The Lakers went nearly five minutes without scoring in the fourth quarter, but held on by forcing eight turnovers.
“It was not a perfect game,” said Doncic, who led the Lakers with 35 points on 11-for-25 shooting. “But we fight at the defensive end. I think we did a great job. It says a lot about the team, bringing this much energy in a game like this.”
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Deandre Ayton stands out in return
Lakers center Deandre Ayton, center, and Knicks center Mitchell Robinson battle for a rebound in the second half Sunday. (Caroline Brehman / Associated Press)
Returning from left knee soreness that kept him out for one game, Deandre Ayton had a quiet six-point, eight-rebound stat line, but he made a loud statement early by setting the tone with his activity in the first quarter.
Often criticized for his inconsistent effort, the 7-foot center scrambled for an offensive rebound to set up a second-chance three-pointer from Austin Reaves, combined with Hachimura to swat away a layup attempt from Josh Hart and blocked a shot from Karl-Anthony Towns all in the first three minutes. He caught a lob from Doncic that forced the Knicks to take an early timeout.
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“I thought he played really hard tonight,” Redick said. “He was great.”
Read more: Luka Doncic joins elite Lakers company with 44-point effort in win over Pacers
Ayton was limited to only four minutes and 30 seconds in Thursday’s loss to Denver after he felt discomfort in his left knee. Behind Ayton, Hayes has continued his career season. Not far behind Ayton’s 19 minutes and 55 seconds of playing time, Hayes played 16 minutes and 38 seconds off the bench Sunday with five points — all on free throws as he attacked the rim for high-flying dunk attempts — four rebounds and one steal.
LeBron James, who suffered an elbow contusion in the final minutes against Denver, did not play Sunday, missing his second consecutive game. Redick said Friday he expected James could return against the Knicks, but he was ruled out shortly before tip-off.
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JJ Redick won’t ‘overreact’
Lakers coach JJ Redick gestures during a game against the New Orleans Pelicans at Crypto.com Arena on March 3. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
With the Lakers having struggled against top competition all season, Sunday’s victory was the type of statement win they were looking for. In Redick’s previous career, it may have led him to serve up hot takes on a podcast or on television. If he were a fan, maybe he would be loudly celebrating only to turn around on the next loss and cry the way he did when he was a child watching Duke.
But not as an NBA coach.
“I’m not in a position where I can overreact,” Redick said when asked about the significance of a gritty win for a team that hasn’t accumulated many of them this season. “You guys do that. The fans, rightfully so, should always overreact. It’s what makes fandom so awesome. … My job is not to overreact.”
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The Lakers are 15-9 in their last 24 games, Redick said matter-of-factly. They’re ranked eighth in offense and 14th in defense over that span.
Read more: LeBron James breaks another Kareem Abdul-Jabbar record, but hurts his elbow in loss
It’s close to what the Lakers envisioned for their team entering the season.
With 18 games remaining, the Lakers could still earn home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. They’re only one game behind third-place Houston (39-23) and play the Rockets twice next week. This week, they have two more games against Western Conference foes battling for playoff position with Minnesota (40-24) on Tuesday and Denver (39-25) on Saturday.
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“Every game is going to matter,” said Hachimura, who had 13 points and seven rebounds while starting in place of James. “We gotta get one by one. We have a big week coming up too. So I think today’s game was great. We needed it.”
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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