NEW YORK — The Knicks committed elderly abuse.
With LeBron James suspended for the first time in his career, the Knicks outlasted the Lakers’ 30-and-over club at Madison Square Garden Tuesday, 106-100, behind a big fourth quarter from young guard Immanuel Quickley.
The Lakers (9-10), who are stumbling to start the season, are the NBA’s oldest team and employ yesteryear All-Stars like Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, DeAndre Jordan, Rajon Rondo and Trevor Ariza. They’d be the greatest team of all-time in 2012.
But without James, they couldn’t keep up with New York (10-8), which buried the Lakers despite Julius Randle sitting much of the fourth quarter because of foul trouble. Quickley scored 12 of his 14 points in the fourth quarter, hitting three 3-pointers in a pivotal three-minute stretch.
Evan Fournier added a team-high 26 points in 42 minutes. Randle contributed 20 points and 15 boards but shot just 7 for 17 and committed five turnovers.
The Knicks teased a blowout from tipoff, dropping 36 points in the first quarter while leading by as many as 25. The Lakers’ defense took a nap at the retirement home. But Westbrook awoke in the third quarter and carried a comeback to knot the score at 79 late the third quarter.
The Lakers, however, never led Tuesday. Not once.
James was suspended for an incident two nights earlier, when he incited Pistons forward Isaiah Stewart into a violent rage by bloodying his face with a swinging fist. New York’s advantage went further because of an illness to the Lakers’ other star, Anthony Davis, who battled a fever and managed a lethargic 20 points in 34 minutes on 7-for-17 shooting.
The Knicks were also shorthanded without Derrick Rose (sprained ankle), Taj Gibson (groin strain) and Mitchell Robinson (concussion). Their absences prompted coach Tom Thibodeau to shift to small ball and utilize a Randle-Obi Toppin frontcourt.
Los Angeles’ circumstances called for more minutes and opportunities for Carmelo Anthony, who received big ovation from the Garden crowd and helped the Knicks by missing 11 of his 14 shots.
Anthony struggled but has been a bright spot in a largely disappointing start to the Lakers’ season. At 37, Anthony has embraced his bench role — something he resisted in his final year with the Knicks — and was averaging an efficient 15.2 points before Tuesday.
Anthony, who sits ninth on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, expected the love from the Garden crowd. That wasn’t always a given. Anthony’s departure from New York in 2017 turned ugly and involved a feud with former team president Phil Jackson. But time has been good to Anthony’s legacy in New York.
“I always look forward to playing at the Garden, playing in front of the fans,” said the Brooklyn-born Anthony. “With the Knicks or against the Knicks. That love is different. That fan base is different for me. It goes deeper than basketball. They embrace me. I embrace them.
“I don’t think the bond between myself and New York City will ever go anywhere,” Anthony said. “That’s why I embrace it the way I do.”
