New York Knicks vs Los Angeles Lakers Match Player Stats On Jan 21, 2018

Clarkson scored 33 points in his previous outing. He was supported on Sunday by Julius Randle, who posted 27 points and 12 rebounds.

Los Angeles won its second straight game without rookie point guard Lonzo Ball, who has a swollen left knee. The Lakers are 2-8 this season without Ball, the second overall NBA draft pick who is averaging 10.2 points, 7.1 rebounds and 7.1 assists.

The Lakers were also without starting shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (left foot).

However, Lakers starting forward Brandon Ingram (left ankle) returned after missing one game. Ingram scored 10 points in 24 minutes.

With the win, the Lakers are on a 6-2 roll that has followed a season-worst nine-game losing streak.

The Knicks are 2-2 on this season-long seven-game road trip. Prior to this trip, the Knicks had a 4-15 road record.

New York was led by Tim Hardaway Jr., Kristaps Porzingis and Michael Beasley, each scoring 17 points. Enes Kanter added 12 points and a game-high 14 rebounds. The Knicks shot 54.3 percent from the floor and made 12 of 25 3-pointers and still lost by 20.

The Lakers, who have the worst free-throw percentage (68.8) in the league this season, made 15 of 21 for 71.4 percent on Sunday. In their previous game, the Lakers made just 2 of 14 free throws.

With 11 first-quarter lead changes, the game was close early on. Los Angeles led 30-29 after the period because it made 5 of 6 free throws while New York did not get to the line.

The Lakers started the second quarter on a 13-5 run and held on for a 67-63 halftime lead. Los Angeles, which shot 51 percent in the first half, held the advantage despite allowing the Knicks to shoot 59.1 percent for the first two quarters.

Hardaway started the third quarter with six straight points, including a four-point play, as the Knicks led by as many as six points. But Los Angeles closed the quarter on a 10-0 run and headed into the fourth with a 97-89 lead.

The Lakers cruised from there, winning their second straight game overall and their fifth straight at home.

--Field Level Media