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 third, 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.
Luka and LeBron lift Lakers to wild OT victory over Knicks for eighth straight win
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.
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