Beasley gets busy to lift Knicks clear
KRISTAPS Porzingis had 37 points and 11 rebounds, Michael Beasley made the biggest plays in overtime, and the New York Knicks beat the Los Angeles Lakers 113-109 yesterday.
Beasley had 13 points, including the tiebreaking follow shot, and an assist in the extra period as the Knicks went back over .500 at 14-13. Thirteen of their victories have come at Madison Square Garden.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 24 points for the Lakers, who had won two in a row on their trip. Rookie Kyle Kuzma added 19 points off the bench. Lonzo Ball had 17 points, eight rebounds and six assists, with a dazzling third-quarter stretch that had father LaVar celebrat- ing wildly from his courtside seat next to Lithuania-bound sons Li Angelo and La Melo. But Lonzo was quiet after that period beyond two free throws early in OT.
The Knicks essentially won it with Beasley’s flurry of a tipin, a pass inside to Doug McDermott for a basket, and a driving layup that turned a 103-all game into a 109-103 lead with 1:24 remaining in the overtime. LEBRON James had 25 points and tied a career high with 17 assists, and Cleveland defeated Atlanta.
James was 11 of 13 from the field, had seven rebounds and was given a standing ovation when he was removed from the game with 2:34 remaining. Cleveland won for the 15th time in 16 games. The Cavaliers hit a season-high 20 three-pointers, including nine in the first quarter. Cleveland had a season-high 35 assists.
Kyle Korver had 19 points, including six three-pointers. Kevin Love, returning after missing a game with a hip injury, scored 17 points, all in the first half. RONDAE Hollis-Jefferson and Caris LeVert each scored 16 points, and Brooklyn overcame blowing a double-digit second-half lead and took advantage of a costly mistake by Washington in the final seconds.
Brooklyn’s Allen Crabbe hit a 3-pointer with 43.8 seconds left to put the Nets up 100-98. Bradley Beal missed a potential game-tying pull-up jumper and Spencer Dinwiddie was then fouled, making one of two free throws to increase the lead to 101-98.
A timeout by Washington advanced the ball past halfcourt, but Tomas Satoransky was unable to inbound the ball in time, drawing a five-second violation. LeVert then made two free throws with seven seconds left to seal the win. JAMAL Murray scored 28 points, and Denver handed Detroit its seventh straight loss.
Trey Lyles added 20 points for Denver.