The Los Angeles Lakers faced perhaps their stiffest test since Luka Dončić entered their lineup on Thursday. They passed.
Facing a 40-21 New York Knicks team sitting in third place in the East, the Lakers came back from down double digits in the fourth quarter to send the game to overtime, then emerged with a 113-109 win. It was their eighth straight victory.
Dončić led the way with 32 points on 9-of-23 shooting, 12 assists, seven rebounds and four steals, while LeBron James contributed 31 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists. They are now 12-2 since the Dončić trade.
Unfortunately, the overtime period was deflated with a minute left when Jalen Brunson rolled his ankle while driving to the basket. Further replay showed his foot landed at an extremely ugly angle on the foot of Austin Reaves, who was called for a foul.
Brunson, who was in visible pain on the floor, stayed in the game to shoot his free throws and tie the game, then left for the locker room. He did not return and finished with 39 points and 10 assists.
The final minutes of the fourth quarter were a classic in their own right. After trailing for the entire third quarter and most of the fourth, the Lakers got back into the game with a 10-1 run and continued to exchange blows from there.
A Gabe Vincent 3-pointer, set up by an assist from LeBron James and a missed charge call by the officials, gave the Lakers their first lead since early in the second quarter.
The Knicks responded. A Jalen Brunson and-1 tied the game with 46 seconds left, and defensive stops by both teams sent the game to overtime. The Knicks had a great chance to win it at the buzzer, but strong defense by the Lakers forced Brunson to offload the ball to Josh Hart, who failed to get a would-be game-winner off before time expired.
If the game was a stress test, the new-look Lakers showed they were for real. The win improved their record to 40-21, good for second place in the West with 21 games left in the regular season.
If the season ended tomorrow, they would face the winner of a play-in game between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of the NBA playoffs.
Knicks vs. Lakers odds, line, prediction, start time: 2025 NBA picks, March 6 best bets from proven model
The Los Angeles Lakers look to extend their winning streak to eight games when they take on the New York Knicks in a key interconference matchup on Thursday night. New York is coming off a 114-102 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday, while Los Angeles defeated New Orleans 136-115 that same night. The Knicks (40-21), who have won three of their last four games, are 19-10 on the road, which is the fourth-best NBA record in away games. The Lakers (39-21), the second seed in the West, are 24-7 on their home floor, which is the third-best home record in the league. OG Anunoby (thumb) and Mitchell Robinson (ankle) are questionable for New York.
Tip-off from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles is set for 10 p.m. ET. These teams have split their season series in each of the last four years, and L.A. won their first meeting this season, 128-112, on Feb. 1. The Lakers are 2.5-point favorites in the latest Knicks vs. Lakers odds from SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 230.5. L.A. is at -144 on the money line (risk $144 to win $100), with New York at +121 (risk $100 to win $121). Before making any Lakers vs. Knicks picks, make sure to check out the NBA predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in betting profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past six-plus seasons. The model enters Week 20 of the 2024-25 NBA season on a sizzling 147-107 roll on all top-rated NBA picks dating back to last season, returning nearly $4,000. It’s also an outstanding 18-10 (64%) on top-rated spread picks this season. Anyone following at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen huge returns.
Now, the model has simulated Knicks vs. Lakers 10,000 times and just revealed its coveted NBA picks and betting predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are several NBA odds and NBA betting lines for Lakers vs. Knicks:
LeBron James has been dominant of late, posting three double-doubles over the past five games. In a 111-102 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Feb. 27, he scored 33 points, while adding 17 rebounds and six assists. He is coming off a 34-point, eight-rebound and six-assist effort in Tuesday’s win over the Pelicans. In 56 games, all starts, he is averaging 24.9 points, 8.5 assists and 8.0 rebounds in 34.7 minutes.
Luka Doncic has posted five double-doubles and one triple-double in nine games with the Lakers, since being acquired on Feb. 1 from the Dallas Mavericks. He is coming off a 30-point, 15-assist and eight-rebound effort on Tuesday. In 31 games this season, all starts, he is averaging 26.6 points, 8.3 rebounds, 7.8 assists and 1.9 steals in 34.6 minutes. See which team to back at SportsLine.
Jalen Brunson helps power the New York offense. In 60 games, all starts, he is averaging 26.1 points, 7.4 assists, three rebounds and one steal in 35.4 minutes. He is connecting on 49% of his field goals, including 38.8% from 3-point range, and 82.2% of his free throws. In a 110-105 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Feb. 26, he poured in 34 points, while adding seven assists and three rebounds.
Mikal Bridges is one of five Knicks averaging double-digit scoring. In 61 games, all starts, he is averaging 17.4 points, 3.4 assists and 3.1 rebounds in 37.7 minutes. He scored 15 points, while adding four rebounds and four assists in Tuesday’s loss to Golden State. He poured in 28 points, while adding three assists, two rebounds and two steals in the win over Philadelphia on Feb. 26. See which team to back at SportsLine.
SportsLine’s model has simulated Knicks vs. Lakers and is leaning Under the total, projecting 225 combined points. The model also says one side of the spread cashes in 60% of simulations. You can head to SportsLine to see the model’s NBA picks.
So who wins Lakers vs. Knicks on Thursday, and which side of the spread hits in 60% of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Knicks vs. Lakers spread to back, all from the model that has returned well over $10,000 on top-rated NBA picks, and find out.
Here are some of the sportsbooks to bet on NBA games today, along with the various NBA sportsbook promos they currently offer.
© 2004-2025 CBS Interactive. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. Commissioner.com is a registered trademark of CBS Interactive Inc.
The content on this site is for entertainment purposes only and CBS Sports makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the information given or the outcome of any game or event. There is no gambling offered on this site. This site contains commercial content and CBS Sports may be compensated for the links provided on this site.
Images by Getty Images and Imagn
SportsLine’s model simulated New York Knicks vs. Los Angeles Lakers 10,000 times and revealed its NBA picks for Thursday
Why the Lakers can cover
Why the Knicks can cover
How to make Lakers vs. Knicks picks
Where to bet on NBA games
Our Latest NBA Stories
Knicks vs. Lakers odds, NBA picks, best bets
Luka, LeBron have Lakers looking like title contender
Knicks star Jalen Brunson suffers apparent ankle injury
Curry drills incredible halfcourt fadeaway at buzzer
LeBron James key part of Knicks-Lakers NBA SGP picks
NBA DFS picks, lineup advice, March 6 strategy
76ers vs. Celtics odds, NBA picks, best bets
BRAD BOTKIN • 3 MIN READ
SAM QUINN • 1 MIN READ
BRAD BOTKIN • 1 MIN READ
CHINMAY VAIDYA • 3 MIN READ
CBS SPORTS STAFF • 3 MIN READ
CBS SPORTS STAFF • 3 MIN READ
Player Grades: Lakers vs. Knicks
FILED UNDER:
Grading every Lakers player’s performance from the team’s 113-109 win over the Knicks.
At some point, this Lakers win streak will come to an end (I think) and, for a good chunk of the game, Thursday looked like it would be the night.
But the guttiness this team showed in the fourth quarter will make this one of the most memorable wins of the season. The defense tightened up, some huge shots were made by multiple people and, in the end, the Lakers did just enough in overtime to win.
After winning in style on Tuesday, the Lakers had to win by grinding things out and gutting out a victory.
What a night. What a performance.
So, let’s dive into the win. As always, grades are based on expectations for each player. A “B” grade represents the average performance for that player.
40 minutes, 2 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal, 1-5 FG, 0-3 3PT, +14
Well DFS is really in a shooting slump, no matter how many butt-naked wide-open 3-pointers he’s getting. Over the last six games, he’s shooting 7-26 from range.
And yet, he finishes this game a +14. He’s still playing solid defense and still doing the small things that lead to winning basketball. But making a couple more shots wouldn’t hurt either.
Grade: B
44 minutes, 31 points, 12 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 block, 11-23 FG, 2-8 3PT, 7-8 FT, +4
I thought there were a couple of times LeBron was a little too passive, typically when it came to shooting 3-pointers versus passing to teammates. But those decisions also often resulted in a made 3-pointer, to be fair.
Regardless, he hit some big shots, grabbed some big rebounds, set up a big 3-pointer for Vincent and helped get some big defensive stops.
Grade: A-
34 minutes, 8 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, 3-5 FG, 2-2 FT, +5
I’m of two minds when it comes to Jaxson’s game on Thursday.
On one hand, I found myself wanting to close with him early in the fourth quarter and felt that he was playing solid on both sides of the ball while certainly being better than the other options.
On the other hand, it felt like every big basket the Knicks got late in the fourth and overtime were a result of a Hayes foul. I have no idea why he challenged OG Anunoby on the late drive to the rim in overtime. And Hayes had him in a blender multiple times.
But, overall, this was a good showing from him and he played a big role in the win.
Grade: B+
32 minutes, 8 points, 6 rebounds, 2-13 FG, 1-7 3PT, 3-4 FT, -7
Nice of Austin to dress in uniform tonight and get some cardio in before Saturday’s game in Boston.
He did hit a big 3-pointer in overtime. That was the entirety of the positives from him.
Grade: D+
43 minutes, 32 points, 7 rebounds, 12 assists, 4 steals, 9-23 FG, 4-12 3PT, 10-12 FT, +16
There are still “pinch me” moments when it comes to Luka being a Laker and the start of overtime was one of them. His 3-pointer over KAT that forced a timeout was an absolutely enormous shot and put the Lakers in control from the jump over the extra session.
It wasn’t a flawless night but it was still a huge performance from him.
Grade: A-
17 minutes, 2 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block, 1-3 FG, 0-1 3PT, -11
This was very much not a Vando game. He did not make much of an impact early on and struggled to get himself into the game. As a result, he didn’t feature much in the fourth and only came in once Hayes fouled out.
Grade: C-
21 minutes, 11 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 4-8 FG, 3-7 3PT, -1
This was much more of a Knecht game, as have been many recent games. He’s really finding his footing again.
The defense is just not going to be there this season and he still regularly gets lost on that end. But he can still compete on the ball and if he’s knocking down shots, then he deserves to keep getting playing time.
Grade: B+
22 minutes, 12 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 4-5 FG, 4-4 3PT, +2
Have yourself a night, Gabe Vincent.
A game like this would have never felt possible even earlier this year. But this is exactly the player the team wanted when they signed Vincent. His fourth quarter was unbelievable. Not only was he knocking down shots, he was knocking down some huge pressure shots.
Grade: A+
13 minutes, 7 points, 4 rebounds, 3-4 FG, 1-2 FT, -2
Honestly, I’m pretty surprised by this stat line because Jemison was a bit all over the place in this one. The game felt like it was moving a bit too fast for him, which explains why he played the fewest minutes on the team.
Grade: C+
Redick has a really good feel for what lineups to go to late in games. Between Reaves coming back from injury and Rui Hachimura being out, he’s had to mix and match lineups and he’s gotten it right basically every time.
He also did a great job blitzing Jalen Brunson in the final possession of regulation and forcing someone else to beat them, which the Knicks couldn’t do.
Grade: A
Thursday’s DNPs: Bronny James, Alex Len, Shake Milton, Cam Reddish
Thursday’s inactive: Christian Koloko, Jordan Goodwin, Markieff Morris, Maxi Kleber, Rui Hachimura
Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537). Hope is here. GamblingHelpLineMA.org or call (800) 327-5050 for 24/7 support (MA). Visit www.mdgamblinghelp.org (MD). Call 877-8HOPE-NY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY). 21+ (18+ D.C.) and present in select states (for KS, in affiliation with Kansas Star Casino). Call 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT) or visit FanDuel.com/RG.
