The Los Angeles Lakers will receive a big boost on Thursday night as guard Austin Reaves is set to return to the lineup against the New York Knicks after missing the last two-plus games with a calf strain.
Reaves’ return will help to alleviate some of the burden on Luka Doncic and LeBron James to carry the Lakers’ offense. His ability to attack and create for others is massive and the gravity that Doncic and James create makes things that much easier on him to find those attacking lanes and generate great looks.
That will be important against this Knicks team that will also be getting back All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns, who was missed their last game, a loss to the Golden State Warriors, due to personal reasons. The Knicks have one of the best offenses in the league and the Lakers need to be clicking on all cylinders in order to repeat the performance they had against this team in Madison Square Garden.
That contest, which happened before the Doncic trade, was one that showed the level the Lakers were capable of playing at, especially on the defensive side. The Lakers held the Knicks below their season average in points and field goal percentage as Towns and Jalen Brunson combined to shoot just 33.3% from the field.
While holding Brunson and Towns below 30 points combined again might be a bit too much to ask, the energy, effort and cohesion the Lakers have played with on that end of the court must remain if they plan on extending their win streak to eight games against one of the best teams in the NBA. Just because Reaves is back doesn’t mean they can breathe easy now as that focus must remain.
That especially goes for the other role players who have stepped up in a big way recently. The Lakers have been able to get big contributions from the likes of Jarred Vanderbilt, Dalton Knecht, Dorian Finney-Smith and Gabe Vincent over the past few games and it isn’t just scoring, but an attitude and toughness that they provide.
In this marquee national TV matchup, the Lakers need everyone locked in as the Knicks will be motivated to get some revenge in L.A.
New York Knicks (40-21) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (39-21)
Thursday, March 6, 2025, 7:00 p.m. PT
Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California
TV: TNT, Max
Radio: 710 AM ESPN LA
Projected Lakers Starting Lineup:
PG: Luka Doncic
SG: Austin Reaves
SF: Dorian Finney-Smith
PF: LeBron James
C: Jaxson Hayes
Key Reserves: Gabe Vincent, Jarred Vanderbilt, Dalton Knecht, Trey Jemison
Projected Knicks Starting Lineup:
PG: Jalen Brunson
SG: Josh Hart
SF: Mikal Bridges
PF: OG Anunoby
C: Karl-Anthony Towns
Key Reserves: Miles McBride, Precious Achuiwa, Mitchell Robinson, Cam Payne
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