3rd Quarter Report
Down one at the end of the second quarter, the Knicks now have the lead. They have jumped out to a 90-80 lead against the Lakers. The Knicks took a big hit to their ego on Saturday, so a win here would be a pleasant pick-me-up.
If the Knicks keep playing like this, they’ll bump their record up to 15-11 in no time. On the other hand, the Lakers will have to make due with a 15-12 record unless they turn things around (and fast).
Who’s Playing
New York Knicks @ Los Angeles Lakers
Current Records: New York 14-11, Los Angeles 15-11
How To Watch
- When: Monday, December 18, 2023 at 10:30 p.m. ET
- Where: Crypto.com Arena — Los Angeles, California
- TV: MSG Network
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $26.88
What to Know
After three games on the road, the Lakers are heading back home. They will be home for the holidays to greet the New York Knicks at 10:30 p.m. ET on Monday at Crypto.com Arena. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they’ll have plenty of motivation to get the ‘W’.
The point spread may have favored the Lakers last Friday, but the final result did not. They lost to San Antonio on the road by a decisive 129-115 margin.
LeBron James put forth a good effort for the losing side as he dropped a double-double on 23 points and 14 assists. Those 14 assists set a new season-high mark for him. Less helpful for the Lakers was Rui Hachimura’s abysmal 0-5 three-point shooting.
Meanwhile, it’s hard to win when you don’t work as a unit and post 16 fewer assists than your opponent, a fact the Knicks found out the hard way on Saturday. They suffered a bruising 144-122 defeat at the hands of Los Angeles.
Los Angeles’ defeat dropped their record down to 15-11. As for New York, their loss dropped their record down to 14-11.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: The Lakers haven’t given up the ball easily this season, having only averaged 13.9 turnovers per game. However, it’s not like the Knicks (currently ranked fifth in turnovers per game) struggle in that department as they’ve been averaging only 12.1 turnovers per game. Given these competing strengths, it’ll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
As for their next game, the Lakers are the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by 4.5 points. This contest will be their seventh straight as the favorites (so far over this stretch they are 3-3 against the spread).
Odds
Los Angeles is a 4.5-point favorite against New York, according to the latest NBA odds.
The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 4.5-point spread, and stayed right there.
The over/under is set at 231.5 points.
See NBA picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get picks now.
Series History
Los Angeles and New York both have 5 wins in their last 10 games.
- Mar 12, 2023 – New York 112 vs. Los Angeles 108
- Jan 31, 2023 – Los Angeles 129 vs. New York 123
- Feb 05, 2022 – Los Angeles 122 vs. New York 115
- Nov 23, 2021 – New York 106 vs. Los Angeles 100
- May 11, 2021 – Los Angeles 101 vs. New York 99
- Apr 12, 2021 – New York 111 vs. Los Angeles 96
- Jan 22, 2020 – Los Angeles 100 vs. New York 92
- Jan 07, 2020 – Los Angeles 117 vs. New York 87
- Mar 17, 2019 – New York 124 vs. Los Angeles 123
- Jan 04, 2019 – New York 119 vs. Los Angeles 112
