Sprewell’s 58, Ward’s double-double help Knicks bounce back against Lakers
Lakers at Knicks 3/1/1998 Recap
NEW YORK — After losing at home to rival Miami Heat the previously night, the New York Knicks (42-14) came back strong in the second game of a back-to-back at home with a big win against west power house Los Angeles Lakers (48-9).
Final Scores
| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | OT | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Knicks | 32 | 40 | 41 | 36 | -- | 149 |
| Los Angeles Lakers | 24 | 26 | 28 | 36 | -- | 114 |
The Knicks started hot by scoring 32 points in the 1st quarter, 14 of them coming from all-star guard Latrell Sprewell, who shot below 40% in the night before against the Heat.
Coach told me to not think about the last game, you know, it was just a bad night.
Sprewell said. We need to put that behind us and move forward, we are only 7 wins behind Chicago.
Sprewell continued to be on fire in the second half and finished with a season-high 58 points and 13 assists, as the Knicks continue to push for the number 1 seed in the East.
Charlie Ward dished out 14 assists for the Knicks while scoring 27 points, most coming in the second half. Patrick Ewing, who’s been experiencing back pain, had a quiet night and finished with 18 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 blocks.
The Knicks led by 22 points at the half and never looked back.
Shaquille O’Neal and Eddie Jones scored 32 points and 37 points respectively. Robert Horry was 1 point shy of a triple-double in the blow-out loss.
It was embarrassing, I don’t know where our heads are right now.
O’Neal told reporters. We are not gonna win a championship with this type of play.
All-star guard Kobe Bryant continued to sit out with knee injuries, as The Lakers fell to 3rd place in the West.
Box Score
New York Knicks
| Player | Pts | 3pt | Rebs | Asst | Stl | Blk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| L Sprewell | 58 | 1 | 3 | 13 | 5 | 0 |
| C Ward | 27 | 0 | 2 | 14 | 4 | 0 |
| P Ewing | 18 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| A Houston | 12 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| L Johnson | 12 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| T McGrady | 10 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| C Dudley | 6 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| M Camby | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| C Childs | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| D Scott | DNP – coach’s decision | |||||
| K Thomas | DNP – coach’s decision | |||||
| D Wingate | DNP – coach’s decision | |||||
Los Angeles Lakers
| Player | Pts | 3pt | Rebs | Asst | Stl | Blk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E Jones | 37 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| S O’Neal | 32 | 0 | 14 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| N Van Exel | 26 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 0 |
| E Campbell | 10 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 3 |
| R Horry | 9 | 0 | 12 | 11 | 1 | 2 |
| D Fisher | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| R Fox | DNP – coach’s decision | |||||
| J Barry | DNP – coach’s decision | |||||
| C Blount | DNP – coach’s decision | |||||
| S Rooks | DNP – coach’s decision | |||||
| D Wheat | DNP – coach’s decision | |||||
| K Bryant | Out – knee injuries | |||||
📣 Editor’s note: obviously, this is not a real game summary. It is just an excuse for me to write one. Box scores and game summaries used to be my favorite things to read. I love basketball and I love playing NBA Action '98. My Windows XP is lucky enough to still run smoothly, so I am playing this game a ton. I started season mode with my favorite team, the 1999 New York Knicks. After such an epic game, I decided to write it down to capture the fun I had. Here is hoping we clinch the NO.1 seed in the East!