Sitting at .500 in March, the Lakers welcome the Knicks to STAPLES Center on Sunday night
The Los Angeles Lakers have played substantially better in the month of March than through the first four months of the regular season. Now that the young core of the future for the organization is starting to click, a Phil Jackson designed team will now take the floor at STAPLES Center on Sunday night—only it’s the New York Knicks and not the Lakers.
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With rumblings throughout the season that Jackson could potentially return to Los Angeles in some capacity after this season, leaving his gig with the Knicks, it’s at least mildly intriguing that he’ll watch his Knicks team go up against the Lakers right at a time when D’Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson, and Julius Randle are really hitting their stride as a unit and showing massive potential for the Lakers moving into the future. You could say that Sunday’s game is a bit of an audition for the Lakers in regards to trying to bring Phil back into LA.
Okay, so maybe that’s not the case—but it doesn’t change the fact that the Lakers are looking increasingly more desirable situation to align oneself with for the future, be it in a coaching or front office capacity, if you’re Phil Jackson.
However, “auditioning” for Jackson isn’t the only thing on the agenda for Sunday’s game. This will be the final showdown between Kobe Bryant (who Byron Scott says will play) and Carmelo Anthony while two of the most exciting rookies in the NBA will square off in Russell and Knicks sensation Kristaps Porzingis. Moreover, the Lakers will be looking to continue playing their best basketball of the season while the Knicks look to pull themselves out of the mud they’ve been mired in for some time now.
All in all, there’s a lot to keep eyes on for the Lakers’ matchup on Sunday night. More than anything, though, fans just have to hope that the young guys keep making things enjoyable and stay fostering optimism for the future. Wins and losses stopped mattering quite some time ago, but they’ll still have a chance to pick up their fourth win in March on Sunday against the Knicks.
New York Knicks at Los Angeles Lakers
Date: Sunday, March 13
Start Time: 6:30 p.m. PT
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Arena: STAPLES Center
TV Info: TWC Sportsnet
Live Stream: NBA League Pass
Radio: Here
Betting Odds
Point Spread: Knicks -2
Moneyline: Knicks -130, Lakers +110
O/U: 207.5
Injury Report
Los Angeles Lakers: Anthony Brown (foot)—Out, Kobe Bryant (shoulder)—Questionable/Will play, Jordan Clarkson (knee)—Probable, Larry Nance Jr. (knee)—Probable, Lou Williams (hamstring)—Out
New York Knicks: Arron Afflalo (strained abdominal)—Questionable, Lance Thomas (knee)—Out
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Prediction
Whether or not this is actually an audition for the Lakers for the eyes of Phil Jackson, this Knicks team has serious holes that could seemingly be exploited by what the Lakers have been doing well as of late. I like this one to turn into a shootout and for the home team to topple the Knickerbockers to move to 4-3 in March.