MANILA, Philippines – Mario Hezonja denied LeBron James of a potential game-winner to propel the New York Knicks to a 124-123 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday, March 17 (Monday, March 18, Philippine time).
The crowd at the Madison Square Garden roared in jubilation after Hezonja swatted away James’ fallaway jumper before the final buzzer expired as the Knicks added to the Lakers’ piling woes.
Down 111-122 with less than 4 minutes left, the Knicks unloaded a 13-1 run to take the lead before Hezonja, who also had with 17 points and 8 rebounds, preserved the win by spoiling James’ attempt plus the staredown.
the @nyknicks finish the game on a 13-1 run to win at MSG! #NewYorkForever pic.twitter.com/NBV61g82Nu
— NBA (@NBA) March 17, 2019
Emmanuel Mudiay finished with 28 points and 8 assists while Damyean Dotson churned out 25 points and 6 rebounds for New York, which remained at the bottom of the Eastern Conference with a 14-56 record.
#NewYorkForever @emmanuelmudiay goes for 28 PTS. 8 AST in the @nyknicks home W! pic.twitter.com/xCdIA9ZI4K
— NBA (@NBA) March 17, 2019
Also making their presence felt in the win are DeAndre Jordan, who put up 15 points, 17 rebounds and 7 assists, and Kevin Knox, who chipped in 19 points and 6 rebounds.
James chalked up his usual numbers with 33 points, 8 assists, and 6 rebounds but it was not just meant to be as Los Angeles’ playoff hopes continue to fade with a third straight loss.
The Lakers stayed at 11th place in the Western Conference behind a 31-39 slate and trail the Los Angeles Clippers by a whopping 9 games for the 8th and final playoff berth.
Kyle Kuzma added 18 points and 8 assists, Reggie Bullock chimed in 14 points while JaVale McGee, Alex Caruso and Johnathan Williams each had 12 points in the loss.
Elsewhere, the Miami Heat fortified its hold of 8th place in the East after crushing the Charlotte Hornets, 93-75, behind Goran Dragic and Dwyane Wade.
Both coming off the bench, Dragic submitted 19 points and 4 assists and Wade scattered 17 points and 8 rebounds as the Heat improved to 33-36 – 1.5 games ahead of the Orlando Magic. – Rappler.com
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