Knicks vs Lakers: How & Who To Watch as LeBron Finally Returns to MSG

The New York Knicks will face a feisty Los Angeles Lakers group as LeBron James closes in on NBA history.

Geoff Magliocchetti | Jan 31, 2023

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New York Knicks

Henrik Lundqvist's No. 30 hanging above the playing surface won't be the only sign of royalty at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night.

Well-known for his regal moniker, LeBron James' pursuit of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the title of the most prolific scorer in NBA history continues on Tuesday night when his Los Angeles Lakers visit the New York York Knicks. It'll be "King James'" first visit to MSG as an active player since January 2020.

Both sides are looking to reclaim their former glory, as well as shake off tough losses to a common foe in Brooklyn. The Knicks dropped their ninth consecutive contest to the Nets while Los Angeles fell by 17 on a night when James sat out due to ankle soreness. James' group is still reeling from a brutal Saturday night loss in Boston, where an upset effort was partially derailed by a missed foul call on his would-be winning lay-up attempt. The Lakers are fighting for their playoff lives in the Western Conference, currently sitting 2.5 games out of the 10th and final postseason spot.

This will mark the first of two meetings between the Knicks and Lakers this season, the latter coming in Southern California on Mar. 12.

What: Los Angeles Lakers (23-28) @ New York Knicks (27-24)

Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY

When/Watch: Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. ET, TNT

Who's Favored: NYK -1.5

I enjoy watching the activity from Quentin Grimes on defense. pic.twitter.com/nsuGEHVARs
— Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) January 25, 2023

Keep An Eye On: Quentin Grimes

Grimes is an All-Star...Weekend representative. He'll partake in the next Rising Stars Challenge in Salt Lake City on Feb. 17, following in the footsteps of teammate RJ Barrett. It's certainly a stark contrast from the way his season began: half of Knicks nation's citizens thought he'd be dealt to Utah for Donovan Mitchell, while the other expected he'd be buried behind Evan Fournier on the depth chart. Grimes, however, has made himself a staple in New York's opening five.

Now that he's stuck around, the question becomes how he becomes a greater, longer part of metropolitan lore. His defense has been a great focus in recent times: Grimes notably drew Kyrie Irving duty during the first three frames of Saturday's loss in Brooklyn and limited him to 11 points. His trademark shooting, however, has left much to be desired, as he's hitting only 34 percent from the field over his last four games.

Head coach Tom Thibodeau thinks there's one solution: keep shooting.

“He’s proven to be a good shooter in this league. Guys are going to go through different things. But if you’re open, his teammates want him to shoot, we want him to shoot. He’ll be fine," Thibodeau said, per the New York Post. “You’re open, shoot. You’re guarded, move it, make a play. It’s an instinctive game. You want rhythm and you want to create rhythm for your teammates."

Prediction

While the Knicks will avoid hosting history again ... much like they did when Stephen Curry set the Association's all-time triples mark in Manhattan ... there's no denying that they're going to be facing a very angry Laker group. No one can fault the Knicks for falling to an angry group led by James, it just so happens to come at an absolutely brutal time from a New York perspective.