New York Knicks ready for Los Angeles Lakers, nemesis LeBron James

NEW YORK – One game before LeBron James made his annual visit to Madison Square Garden, the New York Knicks were reminded yet again that Jalen Brunson is finally the James-esque superstar they have been searching for since James entered the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Brunson will look to help the Knicks remain perfect on a five-game homestand on Feb 1 (Feb 2, Singapore time) when New York host the Los Angeles Lakers in the first clash between the big-market giants this season.

The Knicks (32-16) have been off since Jan 29, when Brunson joined a select group of franchise icons by finishing with 30 points and 15 assists in a 122-112 win over the Denver Nuggets.

The Lakers (27-19) continued a six-game road trip on Jan 30 by cruising past the Washington Wizards 134-96.

The historic double-double by Brunson provided another highlight in the latest superstar-calibre season for the point guard, who is in his third season as the Knicks’ de facto captain.

Brunson, who was named an All-Star starter for the first time on Jan 23, is averaging 25.9 points and a career-high 7.5 assists per game for the Knicks, who are on pace to make the play-offs for the third straight season after reaching the post-season just once in the nine seasons before his arrival.

Brunson was especially effective on Jan 29 when he scored 18 third-quarter points, as the Knicks took the lead for good before he added seven assists when they pulled away in the fourth.

He became the fourth player in franchise history to finish with at least 30 points and 15 assists in a game and the first since Nate Robinson had 33 points and 15 assists in 2009.

“He was just special,” Knicks centre Karl-Anthony Towns said. “‘Cap’ is special. Everyone knows. We needed him to score tonight, we needed him to do what he does best. And he did that.

“That’s why he’s special. Whenever his name is called in the biggest moment, he’s ready.”

Nobody has been as ready for as long as James, who turned 40 in December but is averaging 23.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 9.0 assists and has nine triple-doubles in his 22nd NBA season.

Against the Wizards on Jan 30, James, who has been playing through a chronic left foot injury, finished with 24 points and 11 assists while playing a season-low 26-plus minutes.

The Lakers led 78-45 at the half and were ahead 97-62 when James exited for good with 3min 24sec left in the third quarter.

The win was the seventh in the last nine games for Los Angeles, who entered Jan 31 in fifth place in the Western Conference and a game ahead of the Minnesota Timberwolves, currently the first team outside a guaranteed play-off spot.

“Don’t overlook the fact that, by the way, he’s 40 years old in Year 22 with every accolade under the sun and he comes out on a Thursday night in a non-nationally televised game against a team that’s really struggling and he’s the tone-setter,” Lakers coach J.J. Redick said.

James is averaging 26.5 points, 7.3 rebounds and 7.3 assists in 59 games against the Knicks.

In NBA action on Jan 31, Victor Wembanyama amassed 30 points and 14 rebounds to lead the San Antonio Spurs to a rousing 144-118 win over the visiting Milwaukee Bucks to snap a four-game home losing streak.

Meanwhile, Jaylen Brown scored 28 points and Jayson Tatum added 27, including a tie-breaking jumper with 0.2 of a second left, as the visiting Boston Celtics held off the New Orleans Pelicans 118-116.

In San Francisco, Devin Booker led six Phoenix players in double figures – while Stephen Curry was limited to 14 points – as the Suns ran away from the Golden State Warriors for a 130-105 victory.
REUTERS