Game ID: 22500522
LA Clippers @ New York Knicks
Wednesday, January 7, 2026 at 7:30 PM ET
Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
NYK 27 24 39 33 123LAC 31 25 31 24 111
LAC @ NYK ScoutingLAC @ NYK Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
NYK availability going into 12/31 · 1 day's restOUT Hart missed 2 since 12/27, out tonight
OUT Shamet missed 16 since 11/24, out tonight
BACK McBride back 12/29 after 7, 18 min since (78% of 24)
NEW Clarkson 16 to 22 min over the last 5
NEW Kolek 11 to 22 min over the last 5
NYK availability going into 1/02 · 1 day's restOUT Hart missed 3 since 12/27, out tonight
OUT Shamet missed 17 since 11/24, out tonight
OUT Robinson missed 2 since 12/29, out tonight
BACK McBride back 12/29 after 7, 22 min since (94% of 24)
NEW Clarkson 16 to 23 min over the last 5
NEW Kolek 11 to 20 min over the last 5
NYK availability going into 1/03 · back-to-backOUT Hart missed 4 since 12/27, out tonight
OUT Shamet missed 18 since 11/24, out tonight
OUT Robinson missed 3 since 12/29, returns tonight: 19 min (103% of 18)
BACK McBride back 12/29 after 7, 25 min since (106% of 24)
NEW Kolek 11 to 18 min over the last 5
NYK availability going into 1/05 · 1 day's restOUT Hart missed 5 since 12/27, out tonight
OUT Shamet missed 19 since 11/24, out tonight
BACK McBride back 12/29 after 7, 26 min since (112% of 24)
BACK Robinson back 1/03 after 3, 19 min since (103% of 18)
NYK availability going into 1/07 · 1 day's restOUT Hart missed 6 since 12/27, out tonight
OUT Shamet missed 20 since 11/24, out tonight
BACK McBride back 12/29 after 7, 26 min since (111% of 24)
BACK Robinson back 1/03 after 3, 22 min since (119% of 18)
NYK availability going into 1/09 · 1 day's restOUT Hart missed 7 since 12/27, out tonight
OUT Shamet missed 21 since 11/24, out tonight
BACK Robinson back 1/03 after 3, 23 min since (124% of 18)
NEW McBride 24 to 29 min over the last 5
NYK availability going into 1/11 · 1 day's restOUT Hart missed 8 since 12/27, returns tonight: 31 min (101% of 31)
OUT Shamet missed 22 since 11/24, out tonight
BACK Robinson back 1/03 after 3, 23 min since (126% of 18)
NEW McBride 24 to 32 min over the last 5
NYK availability going into 1/14 · 2 days' restOUT Shamet missed 23 since 11/24, out tonight
BACK Hart back 1/11 after 8, 31 min since (101% of 31)
BACK Robinson back 1/03 after 3, 23 min since (128% of 18)
NEW McBride 24 to 33 min over the last 5
NYK availability going into 1/15 · back-to-backOUT Shamet missed 24 since 11/24, returns tonight: 16 min (77% of 21)
BACK Hart back 1/11 after 8, 31 min since (102% of 31)
NEW McBride 24 to 32 min over the last 5
NEW Robinson 18 to 24 min over the last 5
NEW Kolek 11 to 17 min over the last 4
LAC availability going into 12/30 · 1 day's restOUT Zubac missed 3 since 12/23, out tonight
BACK Jones Jr. back 12/28 after 17, 18 min since (68% of 27)
BACK Niederhäuser back 12/23 after 2, 13 min since (129% of 10)
NEW Leonard 32 to 38 min over the last 5
NEW Lopez 22 to 27 min over the last 5
NEW Batum 18 to 25 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 1/01 · 1 day's restOUT Zubac missed 4 since 12/23, out tonight
OUT Bogdanović missed 2 since 12/28, out tonight
BACK Jones Jr. back 12/28 after 17, 19 min since (71% of 27)
BACK Niederhäuser back 12/23 after 2, 16 min since (158% of 10)
NEW Leonard 32 to 38 min over the last 5
NEW Lopez 22 to 29 min over the last 5
NEW Batum 18 to 25 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 1/03 · 1 day's restOUT Zubac missed 5 since 12/23, returns tonight: 21 min (67% of 31)
OUT Bogdanović missed 3 since 12/28, out tonight
BACK Jones Jr. back 12/28 after 17, 21 min since (77% of 27)
BACK Niederhäuser back 12/23 after 2, 18 min since (179% of 10)
NEW Leonard 32 to 38 min over the last 5
NEW Lopez 22 to 28 min over the last 5
NEW Batum 18 to 27 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 1/05 · 1 day's restOUT Bogdanović missed 4 since 12/28, out tonight
BACK Zubac back 1/03 after 5, 21 min since (67% of 31)
BACK Jones Jr. back 12/28 after 17, 22 min since (81% of 27)
NEW Leonard 32 to 37 min over the last 5
NEW Batum 18 to 25 min over the last 5
NEW Niederhäuser 10 to 17 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 1/07 · 1 day's restOUT Bogdanović missed 5 since 12/28, out tonight
BACK Zubac back 1/03 after 5, 27 min since (87% of 31)
BACK Jones Jr. back 12/28 after 17, 22 min since (81% of 27)
NEW Batum 18 to 24 min over the last 5
NEW Niederhäuser 10 to 18 min over the last 4
LAC availability going into 1/09 · 1 day's restOUT Jones Jr. missed 2 since 1/05, out tonight
OUT Bogdanović missed 6 since 12/28, out tonight
BACK Zubac back 1/03 after 5, 28 min since (91% of 31)
LAC availability going into 1/10 · back-to-backOUT Jones Jr. missed 3 since 1/05, out tonight
OUT Bogdanović missed 7 since 12/28, out tonight
BACK Zubac back 1/03 after 5, 27 min since (88% of 31)
LAC availability going into 1/12 · 1 day's restOUT Jones Jr. missed 4 since 1/05, out tonight
OUT Bogdanović missed 8 since 12/28, out tonight
BACK Zubac back 1/03 after 5, 28 min since (91% of 31)
NEW Collins 27 to 33 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 1/14 · 1 day's restOUT Jones Jr. missed 5 since 1/05, out tonight
OUT Bogdanović missed 9 since 12/28, out tonight
NEW Collins 27 to 33 min over the last 5
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New York comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 124, shooting 44 percent and 38 from three, 21 free throws a game; Brunson at 27 and McBride at 17 a game. That is 4 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. Without Hart (6 straight), Shamet (20 straight). One day's rest. The Clippers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 108, shooting 48 percent and 36 from three, 25 free throws a game; Leonard at 36 and Harden at 22 a game. Without Bogdanović (5 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Clippers win, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, the Clippers allowing 108 a night to New York's 124 and the glass, where the Clippers have been minus-1 a night and New York minus-6. Call it the Clippers 116, New York 115, New York keeping it close.
12/31 @ SAS 132-134 — NYK notes
NYK lost 132-134. NYK shot 48% (46 of 96) to SAS's 49%, 22 of 52 from three, and got to the line 20 times to SAS's 40. Brunson led with 29 (10 of 24, 5 of 12 from three); McBride added 21, Towns 20. Q1 was theirs, 45-36, but the other 3 periods went 98-87 against them. They led by as many as 19. Anunoby's -25 in 34 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/02 vs ATL 99-111 — NYK notes
NYK lost 99-111. NYK took 9 more shots (97 to 88), fed by 14 offensive rebounds, but shot 37% to ATL's 48%, 9 of 42 from three. Brunson led with 24 (10 of 23, 1 of 8 from three); Anunoby added 19, Bridges 18. Q4 was theirs, 29-17, the deficit cut from 24 to 12, but the other 3 periods went 94-70 against them. Clarkson's -15 in 14 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/03 vs PHI 119-130 — NYK notes
NYK lost 119-130. NYK shot 43% (38 of 89) to PHI's 54%, 16 of 40 from three, and went to the line 32 times to PHI's 23 — 27 points from the stripe to their 15. Brunson led with 31 (10 of 21, 2 of 4 from three, 9 of 12 at the line); Towns added 23, McBride 20. Q4 was theirs, 32-31, the deficit cut from 12 to 11, but the other 3 periods went 99-87 against them. Bridges's -11 in 37 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/05 @ DET 90-121 — NYK notes
NYK lost 90-121. NYK shot 42% (32 of 76) to DET's 55%, 13 of 30 from three. NYK turned it over 20 times to DET's 15, and DET turned those into 12 steals. The glass went 30-44 against them. Brunson led with 25 (10 of 21, 2 of 6 from three); McBride added 17, Bridges 10. Q1 was theirs, 29-30, but the other 3 periods went 91-61 against them. Anunoby's -31 in 29 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/07 vs LAC 123-111 — NYK notes
NYK won 123-111. NYK shot 50% (47 of 94) to LAC's 43%, 14 of 33 from three. Brunson led with 26 (9 of 12, 4 of 5 from three); Anunoby added 20, Towns 20. The hinge was Q4, 33-24: a lead of 3 became 12, and the lead reached 15. NYK trailed 51-56 at the half and won the second half 72-55. Kolek was the night's best plus/minus at +18.
1/09 @ PHX — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Phoenix comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 107, shooting 46 percent and 37 from three, 19 free throws a game; Booker at 26 and Brooks at 19 a game. Without Green (27 straight). One day's rest. New York comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 121, shooting 44 percent and 38 from three, 21 free throws a game; Brunson at 27 and Towns at 17 a game. Without Hart (7 straight), Shamet (21 straight). One day's rest.
So: Phoenix wins, and the game turns on the defense, Phoenix allowing 107 a night to New York's 121 and the glass, where Phoenix has been plus-2 a night and New York minus-3. Call it Phoenix 117, New York 112.
1/11 @ POR — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Portland comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 109, shooting 45 percent and 37 from three, 25 free throws a game; Avdija at 31 and Sharpe at 20 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. Without Holiday (27 straight), Grant (12 straight), Henderson (39 straight). One day's rest. New York comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 117, shooting 43 percent and 37 from three, 21 free throws a game; Brunson at 27 and McBride at 16 a game. Without Hart (8 straight), Shamet (22 straight). One day's rest.
So: Portland wins, and the game turns on the glass, where New York has been plus-1 a night and Portland minus-4 and the defense, Portland allowing 109 a night to New York's 117. Call it Portland 118, New York 112.
1/14 @ SAC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Sacramento comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 112, shooting 48 percent and 35 from three, 19 free throws a game; DeRozan at 22 and LaVine at 18 a game. It has lost the glass by 8 a night. Without Murray (4 straight), Sabonis (26 straight), Plowden (28 straight). One day's rest. New York comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 118, shooting 46 percent and 40 from three, 18 free throws a game; Brunson at 27 and Towns at 17 a game. Without Shamet (23 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: New York wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where New York has been plus-2 a night and Sacramento minus-8 and the turnovers, New York giving it away 15 times a game to Sacramento's 11. Call it New York 115, Sacramento 114, Sacramento keeping it close.
1/15 @ GSW — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Golden State comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 108, shooting 47 percent and 34 from three, 19 free throws a game; Ste. Curry at 25 and Butler III at 21 a game. Without Kuminga (13 straight). One day's rest. New York comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 114, shooting 45 percent and 36 from three, 17 free throws a game; Brunson at 22 and Anunoby at 16 a game. Without Shamet (24 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Golden State wins, and the game turns on the defense, Golden State allowing 108 a night to New York's 114. Call it Golden State 118, New York 110.
12/30 vs SAC 131-90 — LAC notes
LAC won 131-90. LAC shot 51% (46 of 90) to SAC's 41%, 14 of 38 from three, and went to the line 32 times to SAC's 14 — 25 points from the stripe to their 13. LAC turned it over 3 times to SAC's 18. Leonard led with 33 (11 of 19, 5 of 9 from three, 6 of 7 at the line); Harden added 21, Niederhäuser 16. The hinge was Q2, 39-20: a lead of 14 became 33, and the lead reached 43. Leonard was the night's best plus/minus at +31.
1/01 vs UTA 118-101 — LAC notes
LAC won 118-101. LAC shot 45% (40 of 89) to UTA's 46%, 16 of 51 from three. LAC turned it over 12 times to UTA's 18. The glass went 47-35 for them. Leonard led with 45 (16 of 29, 6 of 16 from three, 7 of 9 at the line); Harden added 20, Batum 14. The hinge was Q4, 36-20: a lead of 1 became 17, and the lead reached 21. Niederhäuser was the night's best plus/minus at +18.
1/03 vs BOS 115-146 — LAC notes
LAC lost 115-146. LAC shot 50% (42 of 84) to BOS's 55%, 15 of 38 from three. The glass went 30-46 against them. Leonard led with 22 (6 of 17, 2 of 8 from three, 8 of 8 at the line); Collins added 22, Jones Jr. 19. Q2 was theirs, 35-29, the deficit cut from 14 to 8, but the other 3 periods went 117-80 against them. Harden's -24 in 34 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/05 vs GSW 103-102 — LAC notes
LAC won 103-102. LAC shot 48% (37 of 77) to GSW's 38%, 10 of 29 from three, and got to the line 21 times to GSW's 27. LAC turned it over 20 times to GSW's 7, and GSW turned those into 18 steals. Leonard led with 24 (10 of 25, 0 of 8 from three); Sanders added 20, Collins 18. The hinge was Q1, 31-19: from level to 12 ahead.
1/07 @ NYK 111-123 — LAC notes
LAC lost 111-123. LAC shot 43% (40 of 92) to NYK's 50%, 15 of 42 from three. Leonard led with 25 (10 of 20, 3 of 7 from three); Harden added 23, Zubac 22. Q1 was theirs, 31-27, but the other 3 periods went 96-80 against them. Leonard's -14 in 36 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/09 @ BKN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Brooklyn comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 116, shooting 44 percent and 35 from three, 28 free throws a game; Porter Jr. at 29 and Dëmin at 16 a game. It has lost the glass by 8 a night. Without Saraf (11 straight), Martin (2 straight), Wilson (2 straight). One day's rest. The Clippers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 112, shooting 47 percent and 35 from three, 23 free throws a game; Leonard at 30 and Harden at 20 a game. Without Jones Jr. (2 straight), Bogdanović (6 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Clippers win, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where the Clippers have been minus-0 a night and Brooklyn minus-8 and the turnovers, Brooklyn giving it away 15 times a game to the Clippers' 11. Call it the Clippers 113, Brooklyn 112, Brooklyn keeping it close.
1/10 @ DET — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Detroit comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 103, shooting 51 percent and 41 from three, 21 free throws a game; Cunningham at 28 and Stewart at 13 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Without Harris (4 straight), Duren (3 straight). 2 days' rest. The Clippers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 115, shooting 49 percent and 38 from three, 20 free throws a game; Leonard at 28 and Harden at 23 a game. Without Jones Jr. (3 straight), Bogdanović (7 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Detroit wins, and the game turns on the defense, Detroit allowing 103 a night to the Clippers' 115. Call it Detroit 118, the Clippers 108, Detroit by 10.
1/12 vs CHA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Clippers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 114, shooting 49 percent and 40 from three, 22 free throws a game; Leonard at 25 and Harden at 23 a game. They have lost the glass by 6 a night. Without Jones Jr. (4 straight), Bogdanović (8 straight). One day's rest. Charlotte comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 100, shooting 47 percent and 40 from three, 24 free throws a game; Ball at 20 and Miller at 18 a game. It has won the glass by 13 a night. One day's rest.
So: Charlotte wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Charlotte has been plus-13 a night and the Clippers minus-6 and the defense, Charlotte allowing 100 a night to the Clippers' 114. Call it Charlotte 114, the Clippers 111, the Clippers keeping it close.
1/14 vs WAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Clippers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 106, shooting 47 percent and 39 from three, 23 free throws a game; Leonard at 27 and Harden at 26 a game. That is 3 straight wins. They have lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Jones Jr. (5 straight), Bogdanović (9 straight). One day's rest. Washington comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 125, shooting 45 percent and 32 from three, 23 free throws a game; Sarr at 16 and Johnson at 14 a game. That is 3 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Watkins (7 straight), Cooper (20 straight), Whitmore (17 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: The Clippers win, and the game turns on the defense, the Clippers allowing 106 a night to Washington's 125 and the arc, the Clippers at 39 percent from three to Washington's 32. Call it the Clippers 119, Washington 109, the Clippers by 10.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
LACBL B. Lopez
CC C. Christie
IZ I. Zubac
JC J. Collins
JH J. Harden
JM J. Miller
KD K. Dunn
KL K. Leonard
KS K. Sanders
NB N. Batum
YN Y. Niederhäuser
NYKAH A. Hukporti
GY G. Yabusele
JB J. Brunson
JC J. Clarkson
KT K. Towns
MB M. Bridges
MD M. Diawara
MM M. McBride
MR M. Robinson
OA O. Anunoby
PD P. Dadiet
TK T. Kolek
LAC/NYK the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Towns bounces back with strong game as the Knicks beat the Clippers 123-111 to snap a 4-game skid
NEW YORK -- — Karl-Anthony Towns had 20 points, 11 rebounds and a season-high seven assists, Jalen Brunson scored 26 points and the New York Knicks snapped their four-game losing streak with a 123-111 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night.
Towns bounced back from a quiet game Monday in Detroit, when he took just four shots and had only six points and six turnovers in the Knicks' 121-90 loss that gave them their longest losing streak of the season. This time, the center had 10 points in the fourth quarter to help the Knicks break open the game.
OG Anunoby added 20 points and Deuce McBride had 16 for the Knicks, who had a 24-7 run starting late in the third quarter and extending into the fourth to turn a four-point deficit into a 105-92 advantage.
Kawhi Leonard scored 25 points for the Clippers, who lost for just the second time in nine games. James Harden had 23 points and nine assists after sitting out Monday against Golden State because of right shoulder soreness.
The Clippers raced to a 14-5 lead, but the Knicks answered with eight straight points and the game was close for the first three quarters. The Clippers were up 85-81 late in the third before the Knicks finished strong to take a 90-87 edge to the fourth.
Towns then started the period with a three-point play and follow shot, and later had four points in an 8-0 run that pushed a five-point lead to 105-92.
Ivica Zubac had 22 points and 11 rebounds for the Clippers, and John Collins added 18 points and 10 boards.
Up next Clippers: Visit Brooklyn on Friday.
Knicks: Visit Phoenix on Friday to start a four-game road trip.