RJ Barrett scored 13 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter and the New York Knicks stopped a three-game losing streak by holding on for a 112-108 victory over the host Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night (Monday in Manila).
Julius Randle led the Knicks with 33 points after shooting 5-of-24 in his previous game, but Barrett played the role of closer. He was 6 of 12 in the fourth quarter and his layup snapped a 93-93 tie with 9:26 remaining. Barrett’s bucket made it 110-100 with 2:34 left, but it was New York’s final basket, and the Knicks survived a dicey finish.
A layup by Dennis Schroder made it 110-108 with 19.3 seconds left, and Josh Hart hit two free throws with five seconds remaining to make it 112-108. After the Lakers called their final timeout, the game ended when D’Angelo Russell missed a 3-pointer with 1.3 seconds left.
Russell made six 3-pointers and scored 33 points, but the Lakers saw their three-game winning streak stopped and they missed an opportunity to reach .500 for the first time this season. Anthony Davis added 17 points and 16 boards but also missed four free throws.
The Lakers missed seven foul shots after going 19-for-19 in a win over Toronto.
In other games, it was the Cavs 114, Hornets 108; Nets 122, Nuggets 120; Sixers 112, Wizards 93; Thunder 102, Spurs 90; and Pelicans 127, Blazers 110.
Cavs 114, Hornets 108
Darius Garland came back after a one-game absence and scored 28 points and Cleveland put together a strong fourth quarter to defeat host Charlotte.
Donovan Mitchell pumped in 23 points and Evan Mobley had key late baskets on his way to 18 points as the Cavaliers won for the fourth time in their last five games. Caris LeVert added 15 points and Ricky Rubio had 11 points. Garland missed Friday night’s loss at Miami because of a quad injury.
Terry Rozier scored 27 to lead the Hornets, who committed 19 turnovers. P.J. Washington (19 points), Gordon Hayward (16), Nick Richards (15) and Dennis Smith Jr. (14) also supplied offensive boosts. Kelly Oubre Jr., who had been Charlotte’s leading scorer in the previous six games, didn’t play because of an ailing back. — Field Level Media
