The victory finished a successful road trip for the Knicks (15-11), who went 2-2 during a mini tour of the Western Conference.
At least on this night, Julius Randle got the better of LeBron James.
Randle won the battle of power forwards against the ageless wonder Monday, dropping a hard-fought 27 points with 14 rebounds as the Knicks escaped Crypto.com Arena with a 114-109 victory over the Lakers.
James, the oldest active player in the NBA, countered with 25 in 39 minutes, missing 13 of his 23 attempts as LA’s comeback attempt fell short in front of a bevy of former players and celebrities, most notably Stephon Marbury and Ron Artest.
Fittingly, New York’s victory was sealed when James bricked a 3-pointer with 40 seconds left, leading to Randle’s breakaway jam on the other end.
The victory finished a successful road trip for the Knicks (15-11), who went 2-2 during a mini tour of the Western Conference.
They avenged their blowout defeat two nights earlier in the same arena, although against the Clippers.
Jalen Brunson added 29 points in 37 minutes for the Knicks, who took control with a 15-2 run to end the third quarter.
