New York Knicks lose another winnable game – takeaways

The New York Knicks lose to the Lakers 100-92 in another game lost due to turnovers and personal fouls. This was a game the Knicks definitely could have won.

The New York Knicks lost another game at the Garden Wednesday night in front of a sold-out crowd. The Lakers defeated the Knicks 100-92 in a very close game, that could have been won.

A year ago, I remember thinking “at least we’re not as bad as the Lakers.” What happened that Los Angeles is now leading the Western Conference while the Knicks still sit at the bottom of the east? L.A. went from not making the playoffs last year to being certified contenders for the championship this year.

Let’s not get tied up in why and why not. The Knicks are terrible, again. Period. This was their 45th game and the16th game they lost by less than 10 points. They stand at 12-33. Let’s see what went wrong this time.

1. The starters

Every one of the Knicks starters had negative plus/minus scores throughout the game. This was a game where the bench totally outplayed the starters with turnovers and personal fouls. At the half, the bench players had plus numbers and the lead.

This game was lost at the beginning of the third quarter. Coach Miller decided to allow the starters to play through although they’d lost the lead and were trailing by seven, all due to the personal fouls and turnovers of Reggie Bullock, Julius Randle, and Elfrid Payton. The starters had a combined total of 14 personal fouls, and 14 turnovers.

2. The Coach

I had once praised Miller for his acumen when calling timeouts. In the third quarter, five turnovers cost them five points. Bullock started the quarter with a turnover. It wasn’t until 5:46 in the period when he finally put Dotson back into the game. What was Miller thinking?

Why is Reggie Bullock starting ahead of Damyean Dotson? Dotson has had the hot hand of late. Bullock had five points on two of six shooting, with one of five from outside. Dotson had 17 points on six of 14 shooting with five of 11 from three.

More from Empire Writes Back

• Caesars New York Promo Code: Win $250 Bonus GUARANTEED on ANY Bet!
• Last Chance Caesars Promo: Claim $1,250 Bonus for ANY MLB Bet!
• Caesars New York Promo Code Gives TWO Chances to Win Betting on Your Yankees!
• PointsBet New York Promo: FIVE $100 Bonus Bets to Back the Yankees or Mets!
• Caesars NY Promo: $1,250 Bonus to Celebrate the Return of Judge!

Dennis Smith, Jr. had not played in 14 games, why put him in, and keep him in? Fans have to wonder if this is the Knicks way of showing off players they hope to trade. If so, they won’t get much for their free agents or Smith, Jr.

Other Takeaways

• Marcus Morris, Sr. was the New York Knicks high scorer with 20 points, six rebounds, four turnovers, and five personal fouls.
• Anthony Davis was a high scorer for the Lakers. He had 28 points, five rebounds, one turnover, and no fouls.
• LeBron James had 21 points, six rebounds, four turnovers, and no fouls. He played in the fourth quarter because the Knicks were still in the game.

The Knicks will take on the Toronto Raptors at home in the Garden on Friday, Jan. 24.