Game ID: 22500708
Los Angeles Lakers @ New York Knicks
Sunday, February 1, 2026 at 7:00 PM ET
Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
NYK 27 25 38 22 112LAL 33 23 26 18 100
LAL @ NYK ScoutingLAL @ 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 1/24 · 2 days' restBACK Brunson back 1/19 after 2, 32 min since (91% of 35)
BACK Shamet back 1/15 after 24, 17 min since (82% of 21)
NEW McBride 24 to 29 min over the last 5
NYK availability going into 1/27 · 2 days' restBACK Brunson back 1/19 after 2, 34 min since (96% of 35)
BACK Shamet back 1/15 after 24, 19 min since (88% of 21)
NEW McBride 24 to 29 min over the last 5
NYK availability going into 1/28 · back-to-backOUT Clarkson missed 2 since 1/24, returns tonight: 7 min (41% of 16)
OUT Kolek missed 2 since 1/24, returns tonight: 20 min (181% of 11)
BACK Brunson back 1/19 after 2, 34 min since (97% of 35)
NYK availability going into 1/30 · 1 day's restBACK Brunson back 1/19 after 2, 33 min since (94% of 35)
BACK Clarkson back 1/28 after 2, 7 min since (41% of 16)
BACK Kolek back 1/28 after 2, 20 min since (181% of 11)
NYK availability going into 2/01 · 1 day's restOUT McBride missed 2 since 1/28, out tonight
BACK Clarkson back 1/28 after 2, 7 min since (41% of 16)
BACK Kolek back 1/28 after 2, 19 min since (171% of 11)
NYK availability going into 2/03 · 1 day's restOUT McBride missed 3 since 1/28, out tonight
OUT Clarkson missed 2 since 1/30, returns tonight: 21 min (129% of 16)
BACK Kolek back 1/28 after 2, 17 min since (155% of 11)
NEW Robinson 18 to 24 min over the last 4
NYK availability going into 2/04 · back-to-backOUT McBride missed 4 since 1/28, out tonight
BACK Clarkson back 1/28 after 2, 14 min since (85% of 16)
BACK Kolek back 1/28 after 2, 18 min since (163% of 11)
NYK availability going into 2/06 · 1 day's restOUT McBride missed 5 since 1/28, out tonight
BACK Clarkson back 1/28 after 2, 17 min since (105% of 16)
BACK Kolek back 1/28 after 2, 17 min since (153% of 11)
NYK availability going into 2/08 · 1 day's restOUT McBride missed 6 since 1/28, out tonight
BACK Clarkson back 2/03 after 2, 21 min since (131% of 16)
NEW Kolek 11 to 17 min over the last 5
LAL availability going into 1/24 · 1 day's restOUT Reaves missed 14 since 12/28, out tonight
OUT Smith Jr. missed 2 since 1/20, out tonight
OUT Kleber missed 3 since 1/18, out tonight
BACK Hayes back 1/18 after 3, 18 min since (97% of 18)
LAL availability going into 1/26 · 1 day's restOUT Reaves missed 15 since 12/28, out tonight
OUT Smith Jr. missed 3 since 1/20, out tonight
OUT Kleber missed 4 since 1/18, out tonight
BACK Hayes back 1/18 after 3, 17 min since (93% of 18)
LAL availability going into 1/28 · 1 day's restOUT Reaves missed 16 since 12/28, out tonight
OUT Smith Jr. missed 4 since 1/20, out tonight
OUT Kleber missed 5 since 1/18, returns tonight: 8 min (82% of 10)
BACK Hayes back 1/18 after 3, 18 min since (100% of 18)
LAL availability going into 1/30 · 1 day's restOUT Reaves missed 17 since 12/28, out tonight
OUT Smith Jr. missed 5 since 1/20, out tonight
BACK Kleber back 1/28 after 5, 8 min since (82% of 10)
LAL availability going into 2/01 · 1 day's restOUT Reaves missed 18 since 12/28, out tonight
OUT Smith Jr. missed 6 since 1/20, returns tonight: 1 min (9% of 11)
BACK Kleber back 1/28 after 5, 7 min since (67% of 10)
LAL availability going into 2/03 · 1 day's restOUT Reaves missed 19 since 12/28, returns tonight: 21 min (59% of 35)
BACK Smith Jr. back 2/01 after 6, 1 min since (9% of 11)
BACK Kleber back 1/28 after 5, 5 min since (48% of 10)
LAL availability going into 2/05 · 1 day's restBACK Reaves back 2/03 after 19, 21 min since (59% of 35)
BACK Smith Jr. back 2/01 after 6, 1 min since (9% of 11)
BACK Kleber back 1/28 after 5, 4 min since (44% of 10)
LAL availability going into 2/07 · 1 day's restOUT Smith Jr. missed 2 since 2/03, out tonight
BACK Reaves back 2/03 after 19, 23 min since (66% of 35)
BACK Kleber back 1/28 after 5, 9 min since (86% of 10)
LAL availability going into 2/09 · 1 day's restOUT Smith Jr. missed 3 since 2/03, out tonight
BACK Reaves back 2/03 after 19, 23 min since (67% of 35)
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New York comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 90, shooting 49 percent and 40 from three, 19 free throws a game; Brunson at 24 and Anunoby at 19 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 13 a night. Without McBride (2 straight). One day's rest. The Lakers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 116, shooting 51 percent and 39 from three, 25 free throws a game; Dončić at 35 and James at 19 a game. Without Reaves (18 straight). One day's rest.
So: New York wins, and the game turns on the defense, New York allowing 90 a night to the Lakers' 116 and the glass, where New York has been plus-13 a night and the Lakers minus-2. Call it New York 118, the Lakers 108, New York by 10.
1/24 @ PHI 112-109 — NYK notes
NYK won 112-109. NYK shot 44% (41 of 93) to PHI's 51%, 15 of 44 from three. The glass went 53-37 for them. Brunson led with 31 (11 of 24, 6 of 12 from three); Anunoby added 23, Shamet 12. The hinge was Q3, 30-13: NYK came in trailing by 4 and left it ahead by 13, and the lead reached 17. NYK trailed 60-64 at the half and won the second half 52-45. Robinson was the night's best plus/minus at +14.
1/27 vs SAC 103-87 — NYK notes
NYK won 103-87. NYK shot 47% (37 of 78) to SAC's 40%, 13 of 32 from three. Brunson led with 28 (9 of 17, 4 of 8 from three, 6 of 7 at the line); Bridges added 18, Towns 17. The hinge was Q4, 31-15: from level to 16 ahead. Robinson was the night's best plus/minus at +25.
1/28 @ TOR 119-92 — NYK notes
NYK won 119-92. NYK shot 50% (45 of 90) to TOR's 38%, 14 of 38 from three, and got to the line 18 times to TOR's 29. Bridges led with 30 (12 of 15, 4 of 6 from three); Anunoby added 26, Hart 22. The hinge was Q3, 35-19: NYK came in trailing by 4 and left it ahead by 12, and the lead reached 27. NYK trailed 47-51 at the half and won the second half 72-41. Kolek was the night's best plus/minus at +23.
1/30 vs POR 127-97 — NYK notes
NYK won 127-97. NYK shot 48% (48 of 99) to POR's 43%, 19 of 45 from three. NYK turned it over 13 times to POR's 20. The glass went 52-37 for them. Brunson led with 26 (8 of 20, 5 of 12 from three); Anunoby added 24, Hart 20. The hinge was Q1, 37-22: from level to 15 ahead, and the lead reached 33. Anunoby was the night's best plus/minus at +34.
2/01 vs LAL 112-100 — NYK notes
NYK won 112-100. NYK shot 47% (43 of 91) to LAL's 45%, 18 of 42 from three, and got to the line 11 times to LAL's 19. The glass went 46-36 for them. Anunoby led with 25 (9 of 15, 4 of 8 from three); Shamet added 23, Hart 20. The hinge was Q3, 38-26: NYK came in trailing by 4 and left it ahead by 8. NYK trailed 52-56 at the half and won the second half 60-44. Towns was the night's best plus/minus at +23.
2/03 @ WAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Washington comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 117, shooting 44 percent and 35 from three, 17 free throws a game; Sarr at 21 and Johnson at 17 a game. Without Johnson (2 straight), Whitmore (27 straight). One day's rest. New York comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 97, shooting 47 percent and 39 from three, 18 free throws a game; Anunoby at 23 and Brunson at 22 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 9 a night. Without McBride (3 straight), Clarkson (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: New York wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, New York allowing 97 a night to Washington's 117 and the glass, where New York has been plus-9 a night and Washington minus-4. Call it New York 116, Washington 110.
2/04 vs DEN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New York comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 95, shooting 49 percent and 42 from three, 18 free throws a game; Anunoby at 22 and Brunson at 20 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 8 a night. Without McBride (4 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Denver comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 113, shooting 49 percent and 44 from three, 29 free throws a game; Jokić at 24 and Murray at 23 a game. Without Johnson (22 straight), Gordon (5 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: New York wins, and the game turns on the defense, New York allowing 95 a night to Denver's 113 and the line, where Denver takes 29 free throws a game to New York's 18. Call it New York 117, Denver 109.
2/06 @ DET — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Detroit comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 112, shooting 48 percent and 33 from three, 30 free throws a game; Cunningham at 26 and Duren at 18 a game. Second night of a back-to-back. New York comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 125 a night and allowing 103, shooting 50 percent and 41 from three, 18 free throws a game; Anunoby at 23 and Brunson at 23 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 6 a night. Without McBride (5 straight). One day's rest.
So: New York wins, on the road, and the game turns on the line, where Detroit takes 30 free throws a game to New York's 18 and the arc, New York at 41 percent from three to Detroit's 33. Call it New York 115, Detroit 114, Detroit keeping it close.
2/08 @ BOS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Boston comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 92, shooting 45 percent and 35 from three, 15 free throws a game; Brown at 31 and Pritchard at 23 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 7 a night. One day's rest. New York comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 109, shooting 47 percent and 39 from three, 18 free throws a game; Brunson at 23 and Anunoby at 22 a game. Without McBride (6 straight). One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, and the game turns on the defense, Boston allowing 92 a night to New York's 109. Call it Boston 112, New York 108, New York keeping it close.
1/24 @ DAL 116-110 — LAL notes
LAL won 116-110. LAL shot 44% (40 of 90) to DAL's 41%, 14 of 34 from three. The glass went 57-43 for them. Dončić led with 33 (8 of 15, 3 of 8 from three, 14 of 15 at the line); James added 17, Hachimura 17. The hinge was Q4, 37-23: LAL came in trailing by 8 and left it ahead by 6. Hachimura was the night's best plus/minus at +21.
1/26 @ CHI 129-118 — LAL notes
LAL won 129-118. LAL shot 56% (46 of 82) to CHI's 52%, 16 of 33 from three, and went to the line 29 times to CHI's 18 — 21 points from the stripe to their 14. LAL turned it over 6 times to CHI's 15. Dončić led with 46 (15 of 25, 8 of 14 from three, 8 of 12 at the line); James added 24, Hachimura 23. The hinge was Q2, 34-25: a lead of 4 became 13, and the lead reached 20. Hayes was the night's best plus/minus at +26.
1/28 @ CLE 99-129 — LAL notes
LAL lost 99-129. LAL shot 48% (39 of 81) to CLE's 53%, 9 of 32 from three. LAL turned it over 16 times to CLE's 8, and CLE turned those into 12 steals. The glass went 36-46 against them. Dončić led with 29 (12 of 20, 3 of 8 from three, 2 of 6 at the line); L. James added 11, Vincent 11. Q1 was theirs, 28-24, but the other 3 periods went 105-71 against them. They led by as many as 10. Dončić's -23 in 30 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/30 @ WAS 142-111 — LAL notes
LAL won 142-111. LAL shot 61% (52 of 85) to WAS's 44%, 14 of 33 from three, and went to the line 32 times to WAS's 10 — 24 points from the stripe to their 7. Dončić led with 37 (13 of 21, 6 of 13 from three, 5 of 7 at the line); Ayton added 28, L. James 20. The hinge was Q2, 36-21: a lead of 14 became 29, and the lead reached 38. Ayton was the night's best plus/minus at +30.
2/01 @ NYK 100-112 — LAL notes
LAL lost 100-112. LAL shot 45% (38 of 84) to NYK's 47%, 12 of 42 from three, and went to the line 19 times to NYK's 11 — 12 points from the stripe to their 8. The glass went 36-46 against them. Dončić led with 30 (10 of 23, 5 of 14 from three, 5 of 6 at the line); James added 22, Ayton 13. Q1 was theirs, 33-27, but the other 3 periods went 85-67 against them. Smart's -19 in 30 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/03 @ 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 96 a night and allowing 114, shooting 42 percent and 31 from three, 23 free throws a game; Porter Jr. at 28 and Thomas at 15 a game. Without Porter Jr. (2 straight), Clowney (5 straight), Williams (3 straight). One day's rest. The Lakers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 116, shooting 51 percent and 37 from three, 25 free throws a game; Dončić at 35 and James at 19 a game. Without Reaves (19 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Lakers win, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, the Lakers at 37 percent from three to Brooklyn's 31 and the turnovers, Brooklyn giving it away 16 times a game to the Lakers' 12. Call it the Lakers 114, Brooklyn 110, Brooklyn keeping it close.
2/05 vs PHI — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 116, shooting 53 percent and 34 from three, 27 free throws a game; Dončić at 33 and James at 20 a game. They have lost the glass by 5 a night. One day's rest. Philadelphia comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 111, shooting 49 percent and 43 from three, 22 free throws a game; Embiid at 32 and Maxey at 25 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 4 a night. Without George (3 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Lakers win, and the game turns on the glass, where Philadelphia has been plus-4 a night and the Lakers minus-5 and the arc, Philadelphia at 43 percent from three to the Lakers' 34. Call it the Lakers 117, Philadelphia 116, Philadelphia keeping it close.
2/07 vs GSW — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 115, shooting 53 percent and 31 from three, 27 free throws a game; Dončić at 26 and James at 19 a game. One day's rest. Golden State comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 115, shooting 44 percent and 36 from three, 20 free throws a game; Santos at 15 and Melton at 14 a game. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. Without Ste. Curry (2 straight), Cryer (5 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Lakers win, and the game turns on the line, where the Lakers take 27 free throws a game to Golden State's 20 and the glass, where the Lakers have been minus-1 a night and Golden State minus-6. Call it the Lakers 117, Golden State 112.
2/09 vs OKC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 109, shooting 53 percent and 34 from three, 29 free throws a game; Dončić at 25 and Reaves at 22 a game. That is 3 straight wins. One day's rest. OKC comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 111, shooting 46 percent and 38 from three, 23 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 28 and Wallace at 16 a game. Without Gilgeous-Alexander (2 straight), Jal. Williams (10 straight), Mitchell (8 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Lakers win, and the game turns on the line, where the Lakers take 29 free throws a game to OKC's 23 and the arc, OKC at 38 percent from three to the Lakers' 34. Call it the Lakers 115, OKC 113, OKC keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
NYKAH A. Hukporti
DJ D. Jones
JB J. Brunson
JH J. Hart
KT K. Towns
LS L. Shamet
MB M. Bridges
MD M. Diawara
MR M. Robinson
OA O. Anunoby
TJ T. Jemison III
TK T. Kolek
LALDA D. Ayton
DT D. Timme
DO Doncic
GV G. Vincent
JH J. Hayes
JL J. LaRavia
JV J. Vanderbilt
LD L. Dončić
LJ L. James
MK M. Kleber
MS M. Smart
NS N. Smith Jr.
RH R. Hachimura
NYK/LAL 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
Knicks beat Lakers 112-100 to spoil LeBron James' 32nd regular-season game at Madison Square Garden
NEW YORK -- — OG Anunoby scored 25 points, Landry Shamet added 23 and the New York Knicks beat the Los Angeles Lakers 112-100 on Sunday night to spoil LeBron James ' 32nd game at Madison Square Garden.
Josh Hart finished with 20 points and Jalen Brunson had 12 points and a season-high 13 assists for the Knicks, who matched a season high with their sixth straight win, most of them coming easily.
James finished with 22 points, six assists and five rebounds after being chosen as a reserve earlier Sunday for his NBA-record 22nd consecutive All-Star selection . He fell to 23-9 in the regular season at MSG, where he came into the game having averaged 28.2 points, 7.6 assists and 7.0 rebounds.
Luka Doncic had 30 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists. The game was exactly a year to the day of the Lakers’ last trip to New York, when shortly after their victory came word that they agreed to the blockbuster trade with Dallas that brought Doncic to Los Angeles.
James hasn’t said if his 23rd season will be his last, but the possibility of a final MSG appearance sent ticket sales soaring, with seats far from the floor selling for more than $500 and ones near the court going for thousands of dollars.
That, plus a nationally televised audience for the debut game of NBC’s “Sunday Night Basketball” schedule package, gave the game an even bigger feel that James’ usual trips. It was more competitive, too, as the Knicks late in his career are no longer the pushovers they were when his teams ruled the Eastern Conference.
The Knicks outscored the Lakers 38-26 in the third quarter, getting three straight transition baskets and then closing with 3-pointers by Shamet, Brunson and Anunoby in a 15-5 surge that sent them to the fourth with a 90-82 lead.
Karl-Anthony Towns had 11 points and 13 rebounds after learning he was an All-Star reserve.