Knicks at Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers made some dubious history on Friday but still managed to win for the fifth time in the last seven games thanks to a strong defensive effort. The Lakers will try to keep the pressure up and clinch a winning three-game homestand when they host the New York Knicks on Sunday.
Los Angeles set an NBA record for lowest free-throw percentage in a game with at least 10 attempts when it went 2-of-14 from the stripe on Friday but pulled out a 99-86 win while holding the Indiana Pacers to 38.1 percent from the floor. "Our defense was awesome tonight," Lakers coach Luke Walton told reporters after the game. "... It shows just how hard our guys played on that end to overcome what's - I got to look - it's got to be the worst of all time from the free-throw line. It was all defense for us tonight." The Knicks dropped 10 of 12 before hitting the road but took two of the first three on a seven-game trip, including a 117-115 win on Friday in Utah. Tim Hardaway Jr. made his first start since being sidelined with a leg injury on Nov. 29 and poured in 31 points on 11-of-17 shooting in 27 minutes.
TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, MSG (New York), Spectrum SportsNet (Los Angeles)
ABOUT THE KNICKS (21-25): New York coach Jeff Hornacek saw his job security come into question during the team's slide but continues to maintain that the organization is building toward something bigger. "We were talking about rebuilding and we got off to a good start because we had a lot of home games," Hornacek told reporters. "(General manger) Scott (Perry) and (team president) Steve (Mills), everybody's still on the same page of trying to get our young guys opportunities. We're still trying to win games. We still want to establish an identity where defensively we're going to get after it all the time and we're building toward that. It's great to have their support." The centerpiece of the rebuild is 22-year-old forward Kristaps Porzingis, who is shooting 39.5 percent from the floor in 10 games this month.
ABOUT THE LAKERS (16-29): Los Angeles, which closes the homestand by welcoming Eastern Conference-leading Boston on Tuesday, won its last four games at Staples Center and held the opposition to 86 or fewer points in each of the last three home games. The Lakers are operating without rookie point guard Lonzo Ball, who is day-to-day with a knee injury and is not expected to play Sunday, but got 33 points and seven assists in 34 minutes off the bench on Friday from point guard Jordan Clarkson. Clarkson, who recorded the team's only made free throws in the win, went 14-of-19 from the floor after combining for 14 points on 4-of-20 shooting in the previous two contests.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Lakers SF Brandon Ingram (ankle) sat out two of the last three games and is questionable for Sunday.
2. Knicks PG Jarrett Jack scored in single digits in each of the last three games after averaging 18.7 points over the previous three contests.
3. New York got 37 points from Porzingis but still needed overtime to earn a 113-109 home win over Los Angeles on Dec. 12.