It was shaping up to be 48 completely forgettable minutes of basketball between the Lakers and the Knicks Tuesday until one of the league's best squads lost one of its best players. And it looks like he's going to be out for at least the next few games.
During a terrible January basketball evening in which New York looked like it didn't want to be here, the biggest news to come out of the 117-87 trouncing leveled by the Lakers on the Knicks at Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles was the expected—as of late Tuesday night—loss of Anthony Davis for at least the next two games.
Davis went down hard trying to defend a Julius Randle shot near the rim in the third quarter. Landing awkwardly, the injury to Davis's tailbone had him writhing in pain underneath the basket as teammates and Lakers fans held their breath.
"He's one of our pillars," Lakers coach Frank Vogel said. "He's our present, he's our future. He's one of the best players in the world. He obviously means a lot."
The star forward eventually walked gingerly back to the locker room after spending several minutes on the hardwood surrounded by teammates and medical personnel. He did not return to the game, finishing with just 5 points in 31 minutes. He left the arena early and did not speak to the media after the game.
"We hope that he'll be fine, which we believe he'll be fine," LeBron James said. "If it causes AD to miss any time, the next man up has to be even better."
That's obviously impossible, which LeBron immediately acknowledged after saying that. Davis has been playing at an MVP-caliber level for the Lakers (30-7) and his loss—with games coming up against the Mavericks and Thunder on the road—will be felt if he indeed ends up missing them, as ESPN initially reported.
The injury was the only noteworthy thing we saw on the court from a game that was a complete bore. The Knicks never threatened and looked disinterested. Sure there were a pair of flagrant fouls committed by New York in the second and third quarters that stirred up the crowd of 18,997. But other than those two moments and AD going down, this game was the epitome of a "dog days of the NBA" kind of contest where the bad team—playing the third game of a four-game west coast swing—played like it can't wait to return home while the better squad took care of business. Here are six other observations from LA.
LeBron James was a game-time decision, according to Lakers coach Frank Vogel, since James told the team he wasn’t feeling well and was consulting with doctors in the hours leading up to tip. Vogel refused to give details about what was bothering James. While The King said he came close to not playing, he toughed it out and didn’t look sick while he was out on the court since he finished with a game-high 31 points.
"It crossed my mind a couple times throughout the day," James said about not playing. "I tried to get as much rest as I could this afternoon."
James was 6-of-12 from beyond the arc, tying a season-high for made threes, and he finished with a game-high +26 rating. So much for being sick. He said the Knicks dared him to shoot all game and James made them pay time after time.
"I know all day he was feeling really lousy," Vogel said. "But he wanted to tough it out and it's a credit to him for playing through something like that. He was outstanding."
Unequivocally, Dwight Howard has been awesome this season. Most didn’t expect anything close to this from the center when the Lakers signed him this past August. Frank Vogel, however, did.
“I personally had high expectations to what he could bring to the table,” the Lakers coach said before the game. “I think he’s slightly exceeded that.”
After only playing nine games last season for the Wizards, battling back issues, and the perception that he was a locker room cancer, Howard needed to rehabilitate his image and his game. So far, so good. His defense, rebounding, and energy have been vital to Los Angeles running out to the Western Conference’s best record.
Tuesday’s game marked the first contest Howard played for the purple and gold with a fully guaranteed contract. He signed a 1-year, $2.56 million pact (the veteran’s minimum for someone with his tenure) with an unusual caveat for someone with his resume: it wouldn’t become fully guaranteed until mid-way through the season. That was insurance for the Lakers against Howard, whose antics and personality have grated some of his past teammates, potentially causing a rift in the locker room, not fully accepting a reserve role, or not being an effective defensive presence.
“I felt like he could really contribute at a very high level and that’s played out,” Vogel said.
Howard’s been a model citizen seven seasons after his first time with the Lakers was a one-and-done affair. Averaging 7.1 points, 6.8 boards, and 1.4 blocks over 19.5 minutes per game this year, Howard’s often been the Lakers best player off the bench. He had another excellent game against the Knicks Tuesday—8 points, 13 boards, and 5 blocks—but the Lakers didn't need him to be a difference-maker against lowly New York.
Headed in the opposite direction as the Lakers, New York will find itself back in the lottery come May. Yet again. But after firing coach David Fizdale in early December, the Knicks have—for the most part—been playing better, and arguably harder, under interim coach Mike Miller.
“He’s got them playing really hard on the defensive end," Vogel said before the game. "Offensively, they’ve kept their turnovers down. They don’t have a marquee superstar, but they have a lot of really good players. We saw that with the Clippers game when they scored 45 points in the first quarter. They have a lot of firepower.”
The Knicks pushed the Clippers—minus Kawhi Leonard—on Sunday at Staples. They even scored 45 points in the first quarter against one of the NBA’s best defensive squads. Ultimately, the Knicks came up short, but it was another example of New York looking competent and way more competitive in the wake of Fizdale’s firing December 6.
The Knicks got off to a 4-18 start before making the change, but since Miller was given the reins New York reeled off wins against the Nets, Wizards, and Blazers during a three-game winning streak right after Christmas. They nearly beat the Pacers right after Fizdale's firing and gave the Nuggets trouble in Denver. Sure, they’re 10-27, still author up dud performances from time-to-time, and are headed toward another postseason-less spring. But aside from fed-up Knicks fans who are already over this team, the league is taking New York more seriously these days.
“The record in my opinion does not match the team you see on tape,” Vogel said. “They have a talented team that’s playing hard together.”
Except, that is, on Tuesday.
Celebs Show up for New York
It didn’t help that the Knicks were without their leading scorer Tuesday. Marcus Morris, was ruled out before the game because of “soreness,” according to Miller. The Knicks missed him.
Morris has been New York’s best player through the team’s 37 games, but he might not be around for much longer since he’s a prime candidate to get moved at the trade deadline early next month.
Morris, 30, signed a 1-year, $15 million deal with New York over the summer and he’s, shockingly, been one of the league’s best 3-point shooters. Averaging a career-best 19.1 points per game and shooting 46.9 percent from beyond the arc, Morris will be coveted by teams that could use a big body that can knock down perimeter shots. He’s third in the NBA in 3-point percentage and top 20 in 3-pointers made.
"He's been really good for us," Miller said after the game. "He's performed at such a high level."
Chances are Morris's days with the Knicks are numbered if they get the right return for him. He could easily find himself back in LA come February. SNY reported earlier this week that both the Lakers and Clippers will “monitor the market” for Morris.
Bobby Portis wasn’t around for much of the game. The Knicks center was tossed after he was called for a Flagrant 2 on Kentavious Caldwell-Pope with 8:02 to go in the second quarter. Portis swiped at KCP as the Lakers guard was rising for a finish near the rim on a broken play. But instead of knocking the ball out of KCP’s hands, Portis knocked KCP across the head, sending him sprawling to the hardwood. James, one of Portis’s idols growing up as he told Complex Sports’s Load Management podcast last month, confronted the Knicks reserve. But nothing escalated.
"I saw that play happening before it actually happened," James said. "I just went over there and voiced my words to what happened and the refs came between us. But I knew that definitely wasn't a basketball play."
"I think it was was not intentional," Miller said. "I think he was really going for the ball. It was unfortunate."
KCP later returned to the game and finished as the Lakers third-leading scorer with 15 points, connecting on 3-of-his-4 attempts from deep. Reggie Bullock was called for the Knicks other flagrant foul in the third quarter.
