LDN - Sports

Rose guides Knicks past Lakers

[December 12, 2016] LOS ANGELES -- The New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers passed each other going in opposite directions Sunday night.

Point guard Derrick Rose returned to the Knicks' lineup and torched the Los Angeles Lakers' backcourt for 25 points, sparking a 118-112 victory at Staples Center.

The Knicks (14-10) earned their sixth win in seven games. They moved four games over .500 for the first time since Phil Jackson was hired as president of basketball operations in March 2014.

The Lakers (10-16) absorbed their sixth consecutive defeat. After starting the season 4-1 at home (including a win over the defending Western Conference champion Golden State Warriors), Los Angeles is now 1-4 in its past five at Staples Center.

Defense is the biggest issue for the Lakers during their slump. They are giving up an average of 115.7 points a game during the six-game skid.

"Pretty much we've got to get stops," Lakers guard Nick Young said. "We're trying to outscore people now. We've got to get back to getting stops.

"I think we showed that we can do it early (in the season). We just need to get back into it. I think me and my teammates are feeling the pressure of losing. We've just got to get back into it."

Rose wasted no time getting back into it after missing the Knicks' two previous games with a sore back. He hit his first eight shots against the Lakers and finished 12 of 16 from the field.

"He was ready to go," Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek said. "Maybe that little rest and missing the last game helped him. He had a lot of energy. He was attacking. He was making that runner and that was big for us."

He wasn't alone. On an off night for Carmelo Anthony (13 points on 4-of-16 shooting), Kristaps Porzingis led the Knicks with 26 points, adding 12 rebounds and seven blocked shots. Brandon Jennings came off the bench to score 19 crucial points. Anthony contributed eight rebounds and a season-high seven assists.

"Different guys got it going at different times," Anthony said. "Derrick got it going early. Justin (Holiday) came off the bench and got it going. KP got it going late in the first half, early in the second.

"Different guys were stepping up at different points in the game."

Rose didn't miss a shot from the field until the final minute of the first half, going 8 of 8 before that and scoring 17 first-half points to drive the Knicks to a one-point lead at intermission.

"I was really taking what they were giving me," Rose said. "They were giving me the lane. I was trying to catch a rhythm, taking the shots I usually take."

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Los Angeles Lakers guard D'Angelo Russell (1) controls the ball against the defense of New York Knicks guard Derrick Rose (25) during the first half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

The Lakers didn't get the same kind of infusion from their two returning guards. D'Angelo Russell (knee) and Young (calf) rejoined the lineup Sunday after extended downtime.

It showed with Russell. He missed all five of his shots in the first quarter (though he did have three assists) and then sat out the second quarter as Lakers coach Luke Walton opted to limit his minutes in the first of back-to-back games. Russell finished with just three points in 17 minutes.

Young, on the other hand, came out firing and matched Lou Williams with 12 first-half points to lead the Lakers. Young finished with 15 points.

The Lakers did have five players in double figures in scoring, led by Williams with 24. However, it was the lack of defensive commitment that Walton bemoaned after the loss.

"We played well enough offensively to win," Walton said. "You score 112 points at home, that should be a win. But there were too many easy buckets we gave up.

"It's tough to win when you can't get stops. Well -- I won't say when you 'can't' get stops because we can get stops. It's tough to win when we don't get stops."

NOTES: Lakers G Jose Calderon (hamstring strain) and C Tarik Black (sprained ankle) remain out but are expected to travel with the team when it starts a five-game road trip in Sacramento on Monday. ... The Knicks practiced at USC's Galen Center on Saturday and president of basketball operations Phil Jackson spoke to the team. Jackson does not travel with the Knicks but still maintains a home in the Los Angeles area. He met with F Carmelo Anthony on Saturday in an attempt to clear the air after he was quoted criticizing Anthony's play in the Knicks' triangle offense. ... New York's five-game Western Conference road trip continues with a stop in Phoenix on Tuesday.

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