NBA 2018-19: 3 talking points as New York Knicks shock the Los Angeles Lakers with a win

In a cross-conference match-up, the Los Angeles Lakers hosted the New York Knicks at the Staples Center in hopes of winning what was supposed to be an easy match for them but the Knicks had other plans.

They started out strong, took an early lead but then gave it up in the 3rd quarter due to some quality play from the Lakers. But their 4th quarter woes continued and they choked, which cost them the game.

The Lakers were again missing their star player LeBron James due to a groin injury. This has affected the Lakers more than they would have liked as they have won only one game in his absence.

After this game, the Lakers are now ranked 8th in the West with a record of 21-18, while the Knicks are at 14th in the east and have a record of 10-29.

Now, the 3 talking points from this game are:

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#3 Good display of rebounding from both teams

New York Knicks v Los Angeles Lakers

Both the teams put up great rebounding displays to make sure that they get an edge over the other. It was a very tight match with a lot of back and forth from both the teams. They both garnered over 50 rebounds. New York had 56 while Lakers had 55 to be exact.

While the Lakers are one of the best rebounding teams as they're on 8th in the league in rebounds per game while the Knicks are 14th. So, it was an amazing effort for the Knicks to match-up to the Lakers.

For the Lakers, almost everyone contributed to their total rebounding efforts. On the other hand, for the Knicks, Vonleh and Kanter had 15 and 10 rebounds respectively.

Hopefully, they continue to put in efforts like these.

#2 Active hands on the defensive end for the Knicks

New York Knicks v Los Angeles Lakers

This game was an all-out defensive performance for the Knicks. They were focused, poised and made sure that they don't make anything easy for the Lakers. They put up an excellent defensive effort from the beginning and this led to a lot of turnovers on the Lakers end. Some of it also happened due to the Laker's own mistake as well.

They took the Knicks lightly and this became a huge problem for them early on. They got a lot of steals and converted them into easy fast break points as well.

Noah Vonleh and Damyean Dotson were the leading stealers with 4 steals each. This was a breakout performance for the Knicks on the defensive end as they are not really known for their defending. They're currently at 27th in the league for points scored against.

#1 Multiple players in double figures for the Knicks

New York Knicks v Los Angeles Lakers

For a team that had lost 8 matches in a row and has looked lost most of the season, this is a welcome sign to see that they had multiple players in double figures. They all played smart basketball which led to a lot of opportunities for everyone.

The Knicks' bench made a huge difference in this game as they had total combined points of 55. And they outscored the Lakers bench by 25 points. This proved to be too much for the Lakers starters to match up and they succumbed to the Knicks in the 4th quarter.

Tim Hardaway Jr. was the leading scorer in this game as he scored 22 points to lead the Knicks to a victory.

In their next game, the Lakers will begin their road trip as they face the Timberwolves while the Knicks will go on to face the Trail Blazers.