The New York Knicks will begin a 4-game home stand as they host the Los Angeles Lakers tonight at the Madison Square Garden. This will be the first of two annual matchups between these two teams for the season. The Lakers will enter this one on a 2-game losing streak.
The Knicks currently hold a 27-24 record for the season, good for the 7th spot in the Eastern Conference standings so far. They will enter this game having lost their last game against city rivals Brooklyn Nets with a final score of 122-115. Nets star Kyrie Irving scored a game-high 32 points as he helped his team survive the Knicks.
On the other hand, the Lakers have been struggling so far this season. They currently sit at the 13th spot in the Western Conference with a 23-28 record. Their last game was a blowout 121-104 loss against the Brooklyn Nets, which featured three Nets players scoring 20+ points. Kyrie Irving scored a team-high 26 points along with 7 rebounds and 6 assists.
LeBron James is listed as questionable for the Los Angeles Lakers vs New York Knicks game tonight
LeBron James has been playing at an astonishingly high level this season. The 38-year-old has played in 40 games this season so far and is averaging an impressive 30.2/8.5/7.1. He recently got named as an All-Star starter yet again this season, this being his 19th time getting selected. However, he is listed as questionable for tonight’s game with left foot soreness, with reports suggesting that he’ll have it checked before the game.
Mitchell Robinson (broken thumb surgery recovery) again the only Knick on the injury report; Knicks host Lakers Tuesday pic.twitter.com/57HNki4f62
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) January 30, 2023
Just a few hours ago it was revealed that King James will feature against the Knicks tonight. It will be the news that Lakers fans would have wanted to hear, considering how exceptional the 4x NBA champ has been for them this year.
LeBron James will play tonight against the New York Knicks, sources told ESPN. It will be his first game at Madison Square Garden since January 2020.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) January 31, 2023
The Lakers will be missing star forward Anthony Davis and guard Austin Reaves (hamstring), both of whom are listed as out for tonight’s contest. For the Knicks, center Mitchell Robinson will be missing tonight’s game as he remains out with a thumb injury for at least four more weeks.
Here are the injury reports and expected roster for the Lakers-Knicks game tonight:
Los Angeles Lakers injury report
- Anthony Davis (Out)
- Austin Reaves (Out)
Los Angeles Lakers expected roster
-
Dennis Schröder
- LeBron James
- Patrick Beverley
- Lonnie Walker IV
-
Thomas Bryant
New York Knicks injury report
- Mitchell Robinson (Out)
New York Knicks expected roster
- Quentin Grimes
- Jalen Brunson
- RJ Barrett
- Julius Randle
- Jericho Sims
The New York Knicks are favored to win against the Los Angeles Lakers
The last time these two teams faced off against each other was almost a year ago on Feb 5 last year in which the Lakers secured a 122-115 win. LeBron James came back from injury to record a triple-double of 29 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists in that win. For the Knicks, RJ Barrett scored a team-high 36 points in that loss. Tonight, however, that result is unlikely to repeat.
With Randle being in top form for the Knicks, who have won 2 of their last 3, it is highly likely that they will end up with a win tonight. Also, the Lakers missing LeBron and Davis will make a huge difference in this game. So, expect a win for the Knicks but an exciting game nonetheless as both teams look to get back to their winning ways.
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