Deandre Ayton spoke after the Los Angeles Lakers lost 112-100 to the New York Knicks on Sunday at Madison Square Garden.
“Honestly when they came out in the second half, they made shots. And you know that was a big difference. You know it brought them momentum from good possession and good defensive possession,” Ayton said of the Knicks’ surge in the third quarter.
He added, “Where you know they were getting daggers. They had us kind of scrambling behind offensive boards. And they were hitting daggers and, you know, you’re doing damage, Knicks fans involved. You know it’s going to be, it’s going to sound like a playoff game.”
On the improvement in the third quarter, Ayton said: “A little bit, yeah, I definitely need to tighten up in the third quarter. I’m not going to make that habit. Let’s just say we confirmed that’s how it went after this game. Having a big game like we had definitely made that clear. You know, this is one of our things that we have to pick up and just collectively come together and be accountable.”
When discussing his role in the offense, he said, “I and just play my role hard and make sure your screens roll to the rim. Think about that already, trust my plan, because in Bron, AR, and you know Luka and I just feel like you know the pace of the game, we know they have so much firepower. It’s a big heat, so I’m not really tripping. You know my main goal is just to anchor the defense in close defensive possessions.”
Looking ahead to the final game of the road trip, Ayton emphasized, “Oh yeah, it’s definitely important that we try to finish this thing with a good record and bring that momentum home. We want to prepare well for the break and we want to finish strong.”
The Knicks, fueled by OG Anunoby’s 25 points and Landry Shamet’s 23 off the bench, outscored Los Angeles 38-26 in the third quarter, turning a tight game into a double-digit lead. Jalen Brunson added a whopping 13 assists to lead the offense.
New York improved to 31-18 and claimed its sixth straight win, while Los Angeles fell to 29-19 and remained sixth in the Western Conference. The Lakers shot 45 percent overall but struggled from beyond the arc, hitting just 12 of 42 three-point attempts.
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