Knicks Embarrassed by Lakers To Start West Coast Trip

By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

Tuesday, March 25^th, 2014

New York Knicks vs. Los Angeles Lakers

Post Game Recap

If fans of the New York Knicks thought that Sunday was disappointing, it hit a whole different level of low Tuesday night in Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Lakers destroyed the listless Knicks 127-96. It was a frighten sight for the Knicks, who gave no effort and did not seem to care about what was happening in the game. It was an embarrassing performance for a team still in the playoff race. The Knicks playoff hopes are on life support and fading fast as the poor performances continue to pile up. The Knicks will have a quick turnaround as they will play the Sacramento Kings tomorrow night in the second night of the back-to-back.

Player of the Game: None

For the second consecutive game the Knicks do not have a player of the game. It was a total team embarrassment from top to bottom, players and coaching staff.

Robert Hanashiro/USA TODAY Sports

Match-up of the Game Recap:

J.R. Smith and Nick Young didn’t have the match-up anticipated at the start of the game, partially because the Knicks were blown out after the first quarter. Like all of his teammates, Smith was unable to get anything going consistently in the game. Young on the other hand had to going, pouring in 20 points in only 19 minutes. Young, like the Lakers, ran away with this match-up tonight.

-Positives

After starting the game 0-6, Carmelo Anthony was able to finish stronger, ending the game 10-21 for 29 points. Anthony added nine rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block to round out his stat line for the night.

The first quarter was the only bright spot for the Knicks. Anthony struggled but they were still able to take a 22-14 lead into the second quarter. The 14 points allowed were a season low for the Knicks, as they looked to be well on their way to a much needed victory.

-Negative

The remaining three quarters were a nightmare for the Knicks. After allowing a season-low 14 points, they allowed a franchise-high 51 in the third quarter. That is also a record for points in a quarter for the Lakers, which is shocking because this is quite possibly the worst Laker team in franchise history. The Lakers poured it on after the first quarter, scoring 113 points in quarters 2-4. They really lit the Knicks up from deep, knocking down 18-28 from the three point line.

Harry How/Getty Images

The Knicks bench was pounded tonight. When they were matched up with the Lakers bench to start the second quarter things got out of hand quick and the Lakers started rolling. The Knicks bench scored 21 points combined, 17 from Tim Hardaway Jr. On the contrary, the Lakers bench poured in 82. Xavier Henry scored 22, Young had 20 and Kent Bazemore had 18 to lead the onslaught.

It was scary how poor the Knicks defense was after the first quarter. They showed no heart or effort, leading to a blowout and yet another embarrassing loss. Hardaway Jr. continues to get torched nightly, as he has failed to even pick up the basics of defense in the NBA 60+ games into his rookie season. Tyson Chandler did nothing to protect the paint, as the Lakers scored 40 in there with little to no resistance.  It was an embarrassing performance all-around for the Knicks on the defensive end. They got dominated by essentially a D-League team and players who haven’t played in a very long time. Chris Kaman, who hasn’t even talked to his coach in three weeks, was inserted into the lineup tonight with Pau Gasol out, and scored 13 points and grabbed nine rebounds.

The team should have to find their own way to Sacramento for the game tomorrow and some people should be left in California for the remainder of the season. They have had golden opportunities to move up in the standings and close the gap with the Atlanta Hawks but have squandered all of them. The Knicks have played heartless and low IQ basketball for the better part of the six quarters and do not deserve a playoff spot. It is hard to imagine this is the same team that beat the Indiana Pacers last week at Madison Square Garden, creating as positive of vibes the team has had all season, and that is all gone now.