National Basketball Association
New York 113, L.A. Lakers 109
When: 7:00 PM ET, Tuesday, December 12, 2017
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Officials: #61 Courtney Kirkland, #7 Lauren Holtkamp, #15 Zach Zarba
Attendance: 19359

NEW YORK -- All the focus was on Lonzo Ball and his famous family's first foray to iconic Madison Square Garden.

LaVar Ball and his other two sons -- LiAngelo and LaMelo -- sat courtside, looming large.

Not as large as Kristaps Porzingis, though. The New York Knicks forward somehow was lost in the shuffle, as if it is easy to lose all 7 feet, 3 inches of him.

He reminded the crowd early and late, scoring 12 first-quarter points en route to a 37-point, 11-rebound, five-block performance in a 113-109 overtime win over Lonzo Ball and the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night.

After scoring 29 points in the first three quarters, Porzingis went cold for much of the fourth quarter until hitting a fadeaway with just over two minutes left to give the Knicks a five-point lead. He scored on another fadeaway on the next possession.

Perhaps Lakers coach Luke Walton summed it up best.

"Porzingis is pretty good at this game of basketball," Walton said.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope paced the Lakers with 24 points. Ball (17 points, eight rebounds, six assists) and Kyle Kuzma (19 points) played well in their Madison Square Garden debuts.

Kuzma hit a 3-pointer with 23.9 seconds left to tie the game at 99, but New York's Michael Beasley had two baskets as well as an assist on a Doug McDermott layup during a 69-second run in overtime to give the Knicks a six-point lead they would not relinquish. Beasley finished the game with 13 points, and McDermott had 10.

"Beasley is a talent," said Knicks guard Courtney Lee, who had 10 points and a team-best plus-11 plus/minus ratio. "You give him the ball in his sweet spot, there isn't much you can do. We gave him the ball, he made the right plays."

Despite his own success, Beasley signaled out Ball for his play after the game.

"I think Lonzo is awesome," he said. "You guys are hung up on him not scoring the ball, but what rookie comes in and averages 50 points. There aren't a lot of 20 (point), five (rebound), five (assist) guys out there. He's a great point guard."

New York (14-13) rebounded from an uneven first half to claim a six-point lead minutes into the second half on a Porzingis 3-pointer, but the Lakers battled back and the teams exchanged the lead a half-dozen times in the quarter.

"We fought," Kuzma said. "Could've kept the lead in that second quarter and got back in the game, but it happens."

Los Angeles (10-16) led by as much as seven in the first quarter before building a double-digit lead in the second quarter. The Knicks gradually cut into the deficit and eventually overtook the Lakers with 1:22 left in the half, leading 47-46, but Los Angeles claimed a 51-50 halftime lead.

"You have to give them credit for making plays, but as a team you always look at what you can do better as a group, as an individual, and there is a lot tonight that we could have done better to give ourselves a better chance to win that game," Walton said.

Enes Kanter had 14 points and 11 rebounds for New York. Knicks rookie Frank Ntilikina added a career-high 13 points.

"He is a great player," Ball said of Ntilikina. "He is young like me, playing in a big city."

Brook Lopez had 14 points for the Lakers, but second-year forward Brandon Ingram had one of his worst games, shooting 2 of 12 from the field while scoring five points and committing five turnovers in 41 minutes.

NOTES: The Lakers had their two-game winning streak snapped. They had two other two-game winning streaks on the year. ... The Knicks improved their home record to 13-5. They are 1-8 on the road, the lone win coming at defending Eastern Conference champion Cleveland. ... Knicks SG Tim Hardaway Jr., who is sidelined due to a lower left leg stress injury, attended the game in a large walking boot. He is scheduled to be re-evaluated next Tuesday. ... The Lakers conclude their four-game road trip on Thursday in Cleveland to face LeBron James and the Cavaliers. ... The Knicks head to Brooklyn on Thursday for a matchup with the Nets, their second of the year.
Top Game Performances
 
L.A. Lakers   New York
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 24 Scoring Kristaps Porzingis 37
Lonzo Ball 6 Assists Jarrett Jack 10
Larry Nance Jr. 9 Rebounds Enes Kanter 11
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 4 Free Throws Made Kristaps Porzingis 4
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 3 Steals Courtney Lee 2
Kyle Kuzma 2 Blocks Kristaps Porzingis 5
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
L.A. Lakers 109 41.2 13-35 12-15 24 52 6 6 16
New York 113 47.5 9-22 8-11 25 49 7 7 14
Upcoming Games
  • New York will play their next game on the road against Brooklyn. The Knicks have a W/L % of .462 after a win and .571 after a loss.
  • L.A. Lakers will play their next game on the road against Cleveland. The Lakers have a W/L % of .273 after a win and .467 after a loss.