The Los Angeles Lakers picked up their fourth straight win Sunday night, defeating the New York Knicks 110–97 behind a dominant performance from Luka Dončić.
Dončić finished with 35 points and eight rebounds, leading the Lakers in the absence of LeBron James, who missed his second consecutive game with a bruised left elbow and a left foot injury. Austin Reaves added 25 points, while Rui Hachimura chipped in 13 as Los Angeles controlled the game from the start and never trailed.
The Lakers appeared in command after carrying a 19-point lead into the fourth quarter, fueled by a 20–8 run late in the third. Dončić highlighted the surge with a difficult fallaway three-pointer and had 28 points through three quarters, coming off a 44-point effort two nights earlier against the Indiana Pacers.
New York mounted a late push as Los Angeles went cold offensively, making just one basket over a 6½-minute stretch in the fourth quarter. The Knicks trimmed a 23-point deficit to 10, but missed opportunities and eight fourth-quarter turnovers prevented them from getting closer.
Luke Kennard halted the Lakers’ drought with a three-pointer with 1:37 remaining, and Dončić followed with his fifth three-pointer of the night with 1:05 left to put the game away.
Karl-Anthony Towns led the Knicks with 25 points and 16 rebounds, while Jalen Brunson scored 24 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter. New York struggled from deep, shooting 8 of 34 from three-point range, and Mikal Bridges was held scoreless in 27 minutes.
The loss was just the second in six games for the Knicks, who were playing the second game of a five-game road trip that began with a win over the Denver Nuggets.
Up next: New York continues its trip Monday night against the Los Angeles Clippers, while the Lakers return home Tuesday to host the Minnesota Timberwolves.
