Knicks Lose Jalen Brunson, Statement Victory vs. Lakers

Anyone who opted for an early bedtime over New York Knicks basketball after dark may awaken to a horrifying surprise.

The Knicks' five-game West Coast road trip got off to a nightmarish start: not only did they drop a 113-109 overtime decision to the Los Angeles Lakers but Jalen Brunson limped to the locker room in the late stages. Brunson had a team-best 39 points prior to his departure as the Knicks (40-22) failed to stop the scorching Lakers in a late night thriller.

Brunson was injured in the latter stages of overtime as he rolled his ankle on a defending Austin Reaves. The Knicks point guard and captain stayed in the game to shoot his successful free throws but limped to the New York locker room shortly after, struggling to put weight on the ankle in question.

Former Brunson teammate Luka Doncic led the way with 32 points for Los Angeles while LeBron James put up 27 in the seventh consecutive victory for the revamped purple-and-gold.

The Knicks remain stationed in SoCal as part two of this Western swing will be staged on Friday night in Inglewood against the Los Angeles Clippers (10:30 p.m. ET, MSG).