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The seventh-place Lakers (39-30) pulled within
one game of the Mavericks (40-29) in the chase for sixth place
in the Western Conference after Dallas lost at Memphis on
Tuesday. The top six teams clinch berths in the main draw of the
playoffs while the seventh- through 10th-place teams head to a
play-in tournament.
Kyle Kuzma paced the Lakers with 23 points. Anthony Davis added
20 points, and Andre Drummond chipped in with 16 points and 18
rebounds.
The Knicks (38-31) finished a six-game road swing 3-3. They play
their final three games of the regular season at home.
Facing his former team, Julius Randle totaled a game-high 31
points for New York. Derrick Rose contributed 27 points, six
rebounds and six assists off the bench.
After the loss, the Knicks are in a three-way tie with the
Atlanta Hawks (38-31) and the Miami Heat (38-31) for fourth
place in the Eastern Conference.
Lakers star LeBron James missed his fifth game in a row. He
decided to take more time to rest his sore right ankle, having
returned in late April from a six-week absence and appearing in
just two games before shutting it down again.
The Lakers hope James can play at home Wednesday against the
Houston Rockets, when the team will unfurl the championship
banner from last year in the final home contest.
Los Angeles point guard Alex Caruso started the game, but exited
after the opening quarter due to right foot soreness and did not
return. He played seven scoreless minutes.
It was a tightly contested, physical contest that featured 23
lead changes and 11 ties. Los Angeles improved to 5-1 in
overtimes this season while the Knicks dropped to 3-2.
At the start of overtime, Horton-Tucker gave the Lakers a
three-point lead on a corner 3-pointer, an advantage they held
onto until Randle hit a 3-pointer with 1:11 left, putting the
Knicks ahead by a point.
After Horton-Tucker's go-ahead hoop, New York's RJ Barrett
missed a long 3-point try in the final seconds. Barrett also
missed a shot for the win at the end of regulation.
--Field Level Media
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