Lakers Vs. Knicks: Kobe Bryant Leads Los Angeles To 113-96 Win At The Garden

In Phil Jackson’s final appearance at Madison Square Garden, Kobe Bryant came through in a big way, propelling the Los Angeles Lakers to a 113-96 win over the New York Knicks on Friday night. Bryant came out firing against the Knicks, scoring 19 of the Lakers’ 30 points in the first quarter to give the team an early two-point advantage.

The Lakers blew it open in the second, turning that two-point lead into a 14-point advantage at the half after holding the Knicks to just 20 second quarter points. With another strong defensive performance in the third, again holding the Knicks to 20 points, the Lakers were able to cruise down the stretch, breezing to a 14-point road win as Phil Jackson rested his starters with a comfortable advantage.

Kobe Bryant didn’t keep up the breakneck scoring pace he set in the first quarter, but on Friday night, the bench has stepped up to give the Los Angeles Lakers a 62-48 halftime lead over the New York Knicks. A second-quarter run silenced the Madison Square Garden faithful.

Bryant, who brings 23 points into the second half, is 8-for-12 from the field with eight rebounds and two assists. Pau Gasol made his presence known in the second quarter; the power forward has scored 12 points and pulled down three rebounds. Shannon Brown has come off the bench to score eight points.

The Knicks are led by Raymond Felton, who scored 16 first-quarter points. Amar’e Stoudamire has scored 12 to go along with his seven rebounds.

The Lakers (37-16) are looking to win the first four games of their seven-game road trip. The Knicks (26-25), meanwhile, are looking to bounce back from another Los Angeles team, the Clippers.

Stay tuned to this StoryStream for score updates. And to follow along with fans, check out SB Nation’s Lakers blog, Silver Screen and Roll, and our Knicks blog, Posting and Toasting.

On Friday night in Madison Square Garden, Kobe Bryant is capitalizing on nearly every opportunity to score. At the end of the first quarter, the Los Angeles Lakers led the New York Knicks, 30-28, and the Lakers owed much of their lead to Kobe.

Bryant is shooting 7-for-9 from the field so far. He’s sunk three of four three-point attempts and made good on some closely-contested jump shots to score 19 points in the first quarter alone. Bryant also has six rebounds, three of them from the offensive side of the glass.

Meanwhile, the Knicks are led in scoring by Raymond Felton, who has a perfect 4-for-4 from the field. Felton also has four assists.

Stay tuned to this StoryStream for score updates. And to follow along with fans, check out SB Nation’s Lakers blog, Silver Screen and Roll, and our Knicks blog, Posting and Toasting.