Luka Doncic stared at officials and argued for a call while the Knicks drove with the ball in the other direction, his frustration dangerously close to boiling over.
It was that kind of night.
LeBron James pushed and shoved Karl-Anthony Towns in the paint, working with everything he had to get a stop, only to roll his eyes when the Knicks worked a little bit harder to rebound and score.
It was that kind of vibe.
JJ Redick, who has overseen a defense that has been in the right place at the right time for more than a month, looked to the crowd in helpless frustration as the Lakers struggled to get a stop.
It was that kind of second quarter.
And Austin Reaves, playing for the first time since sustaining a calf injury, got the ball spiked off his head by Towns after putting up a shot.
It was that kind of struggle.
Through it all, the Lakers fought. They dug into their energy reserves and found a way to keep going. And just when it seemed there would be nothing left to give, the Lakers found a way to win their eighth consecutive game.
Doncic scored the first five points of overtime and James hit four critical free throws to lift the Lakers to a 113-109 comeback win over the New York Knicks at Crypto.com Arena on Thursday night.
After the Lakers (40-21) rallied from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter, Doncic hit a fadeaway on the first possession of overtime and a rainbow three-pointer on the second, forcing the Knicks (40-22) to play catch-up.
And after Jalen Brunson, who the Lakers couldn’t contain all game, left the game with an ankle injury, James iced it for the Lakers with his final free throw.
In between big plays from the Lakers’ stars, Reaves hit a three — his first of the game — earlier in overtime to help keep the comeback on track.
The Lakers begin a four-game trip in Boston on Saturday.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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