The Lakers finished off their home stand Tuesday night against the New York Knicks. The team welcomed back Xavier Henry and Chris Kaman, but were without the services of Pau Gasol and Steve Nash.
Gasol was recovering from his illness (vertigo) and felt better but ultimately decided to sit out. Nash missed his second game after feeling a tweak in his back in the Lakers game against the Washington Wizards. To the surprise of almost everybody, Chris Kaman got the start in place of the injured Gasol.
First Quarter
The Knicks came out fast and hit their first three shots en route to an 8-0 lead. Chris Kaman finally got the Lakers on the board at the 7:53 mark with two free throws. Nick Young came in off the bench and injected some offense into the team, however the Lakers still trailed 13-11 with three minutes left in the quarter. The Lakers continued to struggle offensively and Tim Hardaway Jr. hit a three in the final seconds to give the Knicks a 22-14 lead after one quarter.
Struggling to get good looks, LAL managed to get Ryan Kelly open for a 3, but fellow rookie Tim Hardaway Jr. answered. NYK up 22-14 after 1.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) March 26, 2014
Second Quarter
The Lakers started the quarter on a 12-2 run, including a pair of Xavier Henry threes, and took a two point lead, 26-24. The Lakers continued their hot shooting in the second quarter as Young and Bazemore both hit threes to add to lead.
The Lakers saw their lead climb as high as 13 points before allowing the Knicks to crawl back within seven points. The Lakers outscored the Knicks 36-18 in the second quarter and took a 50-42 lead into halftime.
Third Quarter
The Lakers continued their hot shooting and grew their lead to 21 points after a quick 15-4 run to open the quarter. The Knicks hit back to back threes to come within 19 points but the Lakers would lead comfortably the entire quarter. The Knicks defense had no answer for the Lakers offense as the team would score a franchise record 51 points in the quarter and take a 101-73 lead into the final quarter.
Fourth Quarter
The Lakers struggled to find their offense at the beginning of the fourth quarter as the Knicks went on a 7-1 run to open the quarter. Nick Young hit back to back threes to put the Lakers back up by 26 points and they never looked back. The Lakers started slow but the offense picked up in the second quarter and carried the Lakers to a 127-96 win over the Knicks, their second win in a row.
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VIDEO: Chris Kaman After The Win, And Not Having Played In A Game For Several Weeks