The victory was New York's sixth straight following a 2-9 stretch that raised alarms in New York and reportedly prompted a players-only meeting.
LeBron James will walk away with a loss from what could be his final NBA game at Madison Square Garden.
Buoyed by an 18-point first half from Luka Dončić, the Los Angeles Lakers opened up a 56-52 halftime lead over the host New York Knicks Sunday night. But a 13-5 Knicks run to close the third quarter turned a tie game into a 90-82 lead that New York never relinquished en route to a 112-100 win.
The Knicks rode an 18-of-42 (43%) night from 3 and a balanced offensive effort in which six players scored in double figures and three players scored 20-plus to secure the win. The victory was New York's sixth straight following a 2-9 stretch that raised alarms in New York and reportedly prompted a players-only meeting spearheaded by team captain Jalen Brunson.
The Knicks are now 31-18 and in a second-place tie in East with the Boston Celtics behind the first-place Detroit Pistons. And the noise surrounding their January swoon has dissipated.
The win for the Knicks spoiled would might have been James' final game in one the basketball's most iconic arenas. If so, James put up a strong effort with 22-point, 5 rebounds and 6 assists. He posted one of the highlights of his season with an alley-oop dunk in traffic to extend a Lakers lead early in the third quarter.
lately LeBron been dunking like it’s 2016.. not 2026😮💨 pic.twitter.com/IS5yLM4tDZ
— ♕𝕕𝕒𝕧𝕠𓅓 (@shpillo_) February 2, 2026
But it wasn't enough to fend off a Knicks team that's returned to from an 11-game slump.
James, 41, hasn't announced whether or not he'll retire at the conclusion of this season. But there's speculation that this might be his last. If so he's in the midst of an Eastern Conference swing that could represent his final game in opposing arenas.
This story will be updated.
Category: General Sports
