The first meeting between former Dallas Mavericks backcourt running mates Luka Dončić and Jalen Brunson with their new teams lived up to the hype.
Dončić pumped five points to open the overtime as the Los Angeles Lakers outlasted Brunson and the New York Knicks 113-109 at Crypto.com Arena on Thursday, March 6.
Brunson tried to answer with eight points in the overtime, but his unfortunate ankle injury with 1:24 left killed the Knicks’ hopes.
Dončić sought out Brunson after the buzzer but the Knicks star was no longer on the court. Brunson went straight to the locker room following his two free throws after awkwardly twisting his ankle on a drive to the basket.
There was a signed Brunson jersey waiting for Dončić in the Lakers locker room. He quickly reciprocated with his game-worn jersey and signed, “To my brother, JB! Love, Luka.”
It was also their only second meeting since Brunson left for the Knicks in 2022 free agency.
Mavericks Fans’ Misery
The sight of them going mano-a-mano with different jerseys added to the misery of the Mavericks fan base, who were still reeling the shocking trade of Dončić to the Lakers, and the subsequent injuries to Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving.
Dončić led the Lakers with 32 points, 12 assists, seven rebounds and four steals to their eight straight win.
On the other hand, Brunson pace the Knicks with a game-high 39 points and 10 assists on an efficient 13-of-26 shooting night before leaving the game with the ankle injury.
The Lakers improved to 40-21 and remained second in the strong Western Conference. On the other hand, the Knicks dropped to 40-22 record but still holds the third seed in the Eastern Conference.
Meanwhile, their former team Mavericks are clinging for the 10th seed in the West with their 32-31 record after the series of unfortunate injuries to their stars and key starters.
Gabe Vincent ‘Won Us The Game’
Dončić also made sure to acknowledge Gabe Vincent, the Lakers’ unsung her.
“I think Gabe won us the game with those three 3s in the fourth quarter,” Dončić told reporters after the win. ” That’s how we got the energy up.”
Vincent knocked down all four of his 3-point attempts, including a pair of late in the fourth quarter that allowed the Lakers to come back from a 13-point deficit. The 28-year-old Vincent, who was the Lakers’ free agent acquisition in 2023, had 12 points off the bench.
Lakers’ Depth
Redick rode on Vincent’s hot hands as he kept the backup guard on the floor over Austin Reaves, who struggled on 2-of-13 shooting in his return after a two-game absence due to calf injury.
“It feels great,” Vincent told reporters. “That’s part of why I’m here, you know what I mean? That’s part of why I’m here, because I’ve done it in those moments late in the season. Just trying to take that experience I’ve had and build and keep helping us win games.”
The Lakers’ second unit outscored their Knicks’ counterparts 34-14. Trey Jemison III, who is on a two-way contract, provided toughness with. The 6’10 center had seven points and four rebounds while Dalton Knecht connected on 3-of-7 3-pointers and finished with 11 points.
“We needed this test. We needed some adversity,” Vincent added. “We’ve been playing well, we’ve been rolling. But we went down in the first half and we had to come back and fight. We needed it to build that character.”
