The Los Angeles Lakers are in the fourth game of their Grammy Trip as they make their annual trip to Madison Square Garden to take on the New York Knicks on Saturday evening.
New York is an impressive 32-16 after their active summer by trading for Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns. The Knicks are on a five-game homestand and are currently 3-0, recently beating the Denver Nuggets.
All five of New York’s starters were in double figures with Jalen Brunson leading the way with 30 points and 15 assists. Max Christie is likely going to get that assignment with the hopes of making scoring difficult for him.
An area of concern is going to be Towns as the Lakers are without Anthony Davis for the second straight game. Jaxson Hayes is tasked with guarding the All-Star big, which could be an issue as the 7’0″ footer is capable of scoring with his back to the basket.
However, an option that head coach JJ Redick has is going small with Dorian Finney-Smith, who is expected to make his return to the lineup after a two-game absence, and Jarred Vanderbilt. Toughness has been lacking for the Lakers this season, but those two could help disrupt the Knicks’ offensive rhythm.
In addition to Finney-Smith returning, the Lakers should also be getting Gabe Vincent back after missing the last three games. Cam Reddish has been ruled out due to personal reasons.
Overall, New York may have more size and strength with Bridges, O.G. Anunoby and former Laker Josh Hart. Those three are pests defensively and a combination of them may be guarding LeBron James and Austin Reaves.
Luckily, the Knicks are not a team that shoots a bunch of 3-pointers, but L.A. needs to be cognizant that they still have capable shooters. Specifically if Bridges sees a few of his shots go in early, he could get hot quickly.
But, cutting off the head of the snake is important as Brunson tends to initiate offense and create open looks for his teammates. Christie is familiar to guarding some of the premier guards in the NBA, but he needs to utilize his length to disrupt the 25.9 point-per-game scorer while keeping him off the line if the Lakers want to come away with a win and improve to 4-1 on their trip.
The Lakers were scheduled to wear their City Edition uniforms in this game but considering they are 1-9 in them this season, they decided to switch to their other purple Statement uniforms.
Los Angeles Lakers (27-19) vs. New York Knicks (32-16)
Saturday, February 1, 2025, 5:30 p.m. PT
Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
TV: ABC
Radio: 710 AM ESPN LA
Projected Lakers Starting Lineup:
PG: Austin Reaves
SG: Max Christie
SF: Rui Hachimura
PF: LeBron James
C: Jaxson Hayes
Key Reserves: Jarred Vanderbilt, Dalton Knecht, Dorian Finney-Smith, Gabe Vincent, Trey Jemison III
Projected Knicks Starting Lineup:
PG: Jalen Brunson
SG: Josh Hart
SF: Mikal Bridges
PF: O.G. Anunoby
C: Karl-Anthony Towns
Key Reserves: Precious Achiuwa, Miles McBride, Cameron Payne
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