LOS ANGELES (AFP) – Julius Randle scored 33 points and RJ Barrett added 30 to lead New York over the Los Angeles Lakers 112-108 on Sunday, snapping the Knicks’ three-game NBA losing streak.
A night after Randle managed only 19 points in a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, he hit 11-of-24 shots, grabbed eight rebounds and passed off five assists to ignite New York.
“Games like that happen,” Randle said. “I’m not going to second-guess myself just because I had a bad game. Come back next game and be better.”
Randle’s 16th 30-point performance on the road this season matched Bernard King’s Knicks record for such heroics away from Madison Square Garden.
Barrett scored eight points in an 11-6 Knicks run for a 99-94 lead early in the fourth quarter and finished with 13 points in the final period.
“We just wanted to put the pressure on them right at the beginning of the fourth, build a lead, and we did that,” Barrett said.
“We just stayed in attack mode and played together. Especially just getting those easy transition points, that definitely helps.”
Josh Hart sank two final free throws with five seconds remaining for New York to create the final margin.
LeBron James remained sidelined for the Lakers with a foot injury while the Knicks were without Jalen Brunson due to a sore left foot.
The Knicks improved to 40-30, sixth in the Eastern Conference, while the Lakers saw their three-game win streak snapped and fell to 33-35.
The Lakers stand 11th in the Western Conference but with the same record as Utah, Oklahoma City and New Orleans in the ninth-12th spots and one game behind Minnesota and Dallas in the seventh and eighth positions.
Brooklyn’s Mikal Bridges scored 25 points and Nic Claxton added 20 as the Nets edged host Denver 122-120 despite a triple double by Serbian superstar centre Nikola Jokic.
Two-time reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Jokic scored 35 points, pulled down 20 rebounds and passed off 11 assists but couldn’t pull off a victory in the final seconds for the Western Conference leaders (46-22).
The Nets led 109-94 with eight minutes remaining but the Nuggets rallied with a 21-6 run and Jokic lifted Denver within 121-120 on a free throw with 41 seconds to play.
Jokic and Bruce Brown missed jump shots in the final 10 seconds and Bridges added a final free throw before Jokic missed a three-pointer at the closing buzzer.
