The Lakers hoped to continue their winning ways when they took on the New York Knicks in a nationally televised game Tuesday night. Despite the Lakers struggling this season, the team was still able to put on quite a show by dominating the Knicks, 127-97. The third quarter has usually been a lackluster period for the Lakers, but Tuesday provided the opposite as the Lakers scored 51 points and set a franchise record for most points in a quarter in the process.
Coach Nick of BballBreakdown takes a deeper look on how the Lakers were able to light up the scoreboard and ease their way into a victory.
Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni loves to play a high tempo offense that he describes as the ball finding energy. As prolific as the offense can be, the Knicks defense did not do themselves any favors by playing uninspired defense. As the video shows, the Knicks were constantly out of position and sent a help defender from one pass away. The poor rotations allowed the Lakers to move the ball with ease and find good looks to drain.
With the Knicks displaying poor defense, the Lakers were able to average over two points per possession, essentially scoring a basket every time they touched the ball.
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