Chandler Fouls Out, Knicks Fall To Lakers

Knicks center Tyson Chandler defends Lakers center Pau Gasol

It pains me slightly to write this, being a Knicks fan, but here we go. The Knicks led by as many as 9 in this one, but ended up falling victim to Kobe's theatrics, who had 34 points. The Knicks, decked out in Christmas orange jerseys, were led by Carmelo Anthony's 34 points, and J.R. Smith's 25 points off the bench. The turning point of the game came when Tyson Chandler was called for his 6th foul on a reach in on Dwight Howard, a call that could've been made on either Chandler or Smith. The Knicks had several opportunities to draw even in the last couple of minutes, but both Raymond Felton and Carmelo Anthony missed layups. The Knicks even got a seemingly favorable call, when Kobe swatted at a loose ball that may or may not have been deflected out of bounds by Anthony. The officials ruled that Bryant had hit the ball through Carmelo's hands but that the ball never touched the Knicks forward on the way to the sideline, and New York retained possession. Down by 3, the Knicks were unable to capitalize on a J.R. Smith off-balance 3-pointer that would've tied the game at 97. Pau Gasol, who finished with 13 points and 8 rebounds, sealed the game on a two-handed slam, sending the Knicks to their 8th loss of the season. Metta World Peace was solid off the bench, contributing 20 points and 7 rebounds, helping the Lakers to an 100-94 victory, and move back to .500 at 14-14 on the season.