A new crew of youngsters started the fight and the elder statesman finished it off.
The Lakers sent out a new starting five to roaring success, as they pushed the lead so high in their 121-107 win over the Knicks that they were able to give New York native Metta World Peace a shining moment in front of his hometown during the final minutes.
But before the 37-year-old was able to enter the game, the Lakers had to build a substantial advantage — and they did from the onset.
Los Angeles (18-36) opened the game up with a 20-8 lead behind two 3-pointers apiece from Nick Young and Brandon Ingram. But the two were just part of what made the new starting lineup — which also included D’Angelo Russell, Julius Randle and Tarik Black — so effective.
After leading by 10 at the end of the first quarter, the Lakers went right back to work, bursting out on a 24-9 run to start the second.
Every Laker on the floor had a hand in putting the team up 53-28, particularly Lou Williams, who hit a pair of triples toward his team-high 22 points on the night.
L.A. took a 16-point lead into halftime and never let it dip below double figures, as Young scored 11 of his 17 points in the third quarter to help stave off the Knicks (22-31), who had beaten the Lakers five times in a row.
The performance also opened up an opportunity for World Peace, who entered the game with two minutes left.
After New York star Carmelo Anthony quipped to World Peace that “they put the old man in,” the 16-year veteran showed that he could still get a bucket or two by immediately splashing a jumper over the defending Anthony.
The Lakers gave World Peace the ball on all four of their final possessions, which — though he missed two shots from the field and a pair of free throws — was much to the delight of Ingram and Larry Nance Jr., who shouted “two more years” during World Peace’s postgame interview when he was asked if it might be his last game at Madison Square Garden.
HIGHLIGHTS: Seven Lakers reached double-digits tonight as they bury the Knicks, 121-107 #LakersWin pic.twitter.com/PPTbVpViqd
Youth Movement While Anthony was ungaurdable at times while dropping 26 points for the Knicks, his one-man show could only do so much against a collective effort from the Lakers, who had seven players score in double figures.
And while New York shot 45.1 percent from the field — 2.0 percent better than the Lakers did — the game was won down low.
There, Los Angeles absolutely handled one of the NBA’s top teams on the offensive glass.
In fact, the purple and gold enjoyed a 20-6 advantage in offensive rebounds, which translated into outscoring the Knicks in second-chance points, 27-4.
Nance was a big part of this, notching a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double, and rookie Ivica Zubac certainly left his mark with 10 points, seven rebounds and a career-high four blocks.
But nobody feasted as quickly as Tarik Black, who tallied nine points and 10 rebounds — including six offensive — in only 20 minutes during his first start at center of the year.
“I thought T. Black was great,” Walton said. “He was plus-34 tonight in the plus/minus category. I thought defensively he really helped set the tone. But honestly it was a great team effort, and within that team effort a lot of guys had little spurts where they made game-winning plays.”
Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek also applauded Black after the game, commending his energy, which helped the Lakers pile up 64 points in the paint.
“I tried to find my rhythm defensively first,” Black said. “I tried to lock up, do what I can to help the team get stops. After that, we could run and if I get my shots up, I get my shots up. The first thing is defense. If you lock a team up, you give yourselves the best chance to win the game.”
The Lakers’ second-overall picks also left their head coach pleased.
D’Angelo Russell shot just 1-of-4 from the field, but had six assists to zero turnovers, as L.A. committed only seven giveaways as a team.
“(Russell) had a couple brilliant passes tonight to back-cutters and whatnot,” Walton said. “It’s huge for us to not turn the ball over.”
And though Ingram shot an airball at the foul line during the opening quarter of his firs pro game in New York, the 19-year-old bounced back to provide 14 points and seven rebounds.
“That’s one of the things I like most about Brandon,” Walton said. “He airballed a free throw and then had the confidence to knock down back-to-back 3’s after that, which is why I think he’s going to have a lot of success in this league. He trusts who he is as a player.”
Walton also praised Ingram for his ability to switch defensively, including onto Anthony, which helped the Lakers snap their 11-game road losing streak.
A photo posted by Los Angeles Lakers (@lakers) on Feb 6, 2017 at 5:43pm PST
Notes Anthony did not receive much help from Kristaps Porzingis (16 points, 5-of-14) and Derrick Rose (five points, 2-of-8). … The Lakers had lost their last five games at MSG. … Luol Deng had seven points on 1-of-6 shooting in his first game off the bench, while usual starting center Timofey Mozgov did not play. … A sold-out crowd of 19,812 packed Madison Square Garden.
Sprinkle something extra on that W #LakersWin
A photo posted by Los Angeles Lakers (@lakers) on Feb 6, 2017 at 7:46pm PST
