Madison Square Garden was buzzing all afternoon. Lakers coach Byron Scott announced before the game that Kobe Bryant had hinted this could be his last season, making today his last trip to The Mecca — where he scored the first NBA points of his Hall-of-Fame career. Both Bryant and Carmelo Anthony earned “M-V-P!” chants from the crowd.
The Knicks and Lakers battled back and forth for most of the game. But with 2:00 remaining, Langston Galloway stepped up and drained a 3-pointer from the left wing to put New York ahead, 92-90, sending the orange and blue on the path to the first home win of the season. Galloway’s long bomb was his third of the day, and his teammates responded with four consecutive defensive stops to put the game out of reach.
It was a total team effort, with five Knicks scoring in double figures. Melo led the way with 24 points, but Robin Lopez (14 points, 13 rebounds) and Kristaps Porzingis (12 and 10) stepped up with double-doubles and crucial defense in the paint. Jose Calderon and Galloway added 14 points apiece and provided the outside shooting to help close out the game.
