NEW YORK — The Los Angeles Lakers and the New York Knicks. Two of the most historic franchises in sports. They would add another regular season battle to their history on Sunday night at the historic Madison Square Garden.

You had stars like Michael J. Fox, Ben Stiller, Tracy Morgan, Daniel Radcliff, Fat Joe and Spike Lee lining up the courtside seats. The buzz was in the building and the hope was that we were going to get ourselves a classic.

The Lakers came out looking to get Ayton started early, kick things off to an early lead. LeBron James would also get things going with a quick five points before OG Anunoby responded back with 8 points of his own. It looked like this one was going to end up a back and forth affair in the first half. Any quick run the Lakers went on would quickly be countered by the Knicks defense, OG Anunoby, Landry Shamet and Josh Hart at the other end. Both teams would keep it close with the Lakers going into halftime with a 56-52 lead.

The third quarter however is where things start to get a bit shaky for the Lakeshow. Today was no different. The Knicks would take advantage of every single opportunity that was given to them thanks to Laker turnovers. Defensively, the Lakers could not catchup with the Knicks either. After New York, went up by six, a small burst of life came from Gabe Vincent hitting a pair from three point land but it was not enough because the Knicks quickly turn it up from behind the arc. They would run away with it and leave the Lakers in the dust by extending their lead to double digits in the fourth quarter.

DeAndre Ayton mentioned to Lakers Reporter Mike Trudell during his postgame interview that “they [Knicks] were hitting daggers and got the MSG crowd involved. It felt like a playoff game.”

Luka added, “they [Knicks] made some great looks. Especially in the third quarter.” When asked what it is that he likes about playing at Madison Square Garden he responded, “it’s one of the most famous arena’s so probably because of that. I like it.”

The Lakers visit the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday night at Barclays Center to cap off their Grammy road trip before coming home to host the Sixers, Warriors, Thunder and Mavericks. Then they will have the All Star Break.

Notable Stats of the Night:

LeBron James: 22 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 9/15 FG

Luka Dončić: 30 points, 15 rebounds, 8 assists,

OG Anunoby: 25 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists

Landry Shamet: 23 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist

Josh Hart: 20 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists

Lakers upcoming Game:

Los Angeles Lakers (29-19) @ Brooklyn Nets (13-35)

Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY – Tuesday, February 3, 2026 4:30 PM PST/ 7:30 PM EST

NBA Trade Deadline Tracker:

The 2025-2026 NBA trade deadline is Thursday, February 5, 2026, at 3 p.m. ET