Four quarters weren't enough to separate the Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden, as Kristaps Porzingis scored 37 points and pulled down 11 rebounds in a thrilling 113-109 overtime victory for the home team.
Lakers rookie point guard Lonzo Ball also had one of his best games as a professional, finishing with 17 points, eight rebounds, six assists, two steals, one block and only one turnover in the loss. Ball also hit three of his six three-point attempts in his MSG debut, and the back-and-forth game made for a palpable atmosphere that could be heard on the radio and tasted through the television screen.
Among the privileged people witnessing the event live were Ball's father and two brothers, all three of whom were sitting courtside. Lakers president of basketball operations Earvin "Magic" Johnson was also sitting courtside and enjoying watching his team and rookies compete at the Mecca of basketball.
While Ball played well and deserved the attention he received, standout rookie forward Kyle Kuzma also put on a show and did his part to help the Lakers nearly steal the road game. Kuzma finished the contest with 19 points, six rebounds, two blocks and an assist in 30 minutes on the court, and the 22-year-old played a vital role in sending the game into overtime.
The former University of Utah Ute hit the game-tying three-pointer with 24 seconds remaining in regulation after the team had trailed by five points with less than a minute remaining in regulation. Kuzma scored 10 points in the vital fourth quarter.
Porzingis, though, proved to be too much for the visitors. The Latvian forward hit his first five three-point attempts on the night before going on to hit the nail in the Lakers' coffin with 52 second remaining in the overtime period. With his shot, the Knicks led by six points and appeared to have the game locked up.
However, tenacious defense led to a Knicks' turnover and another chance for the Lakers. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who led the Lakers with 24 points on the night, had the opportunity to draw the Lakers to within one point with 33 seconds remaining, but the shooting guard's three-point attempt could not find the bottom of the net, and the Knicks corralled the rebound.
Curiously, the Lakers elected not to foul and instead played out a full possession that concluded with a turnover and a fast break basket for the purple and gold. LA only trailed by two points, but with only 1.6 seconds remaining in the overtime period, this game was decided, even if it was not technically over.
A replay review, a couple timeouts and a couple fouls later, the Knicks walked away victorious, 113-109.
Notes: Knicks rookie Frank Ntilikina had a positive showing with 13 points, five assists and five rebounds off the bench, and his contributions played a factor in the final outcome. Conversely, Brandon Ingram had an awful shooting night and missed his first 10 shots and finished the game with five points on 2-12 shooting from the field. Ingram also committed a game-high five turnovers on the night.
