Sports: Basketball USA pro: Christmas Day game sees Lakers squeeze past Knicks

NY's Knicks can't hold back LA's Lakers who win by 6 points in hard fawt fray.  Final score at bottom ...



Bleacher Report (Dec25,2k12)

Preview

by Alec Nathan 

In traditional National Basketball Association fashion, the New York Knicks (20-7) will travel to Tinseltown to square off with the Los Angeles Lakers (13-14) on Christmas Day.

The Lakers enter Tuesday's showdown having won four straight games, three of which were on the road. In fact, the Lakers' last loss came at the hands of the Knicks nearly two weeks ago in a 116-107 defeat at Madison Square Garden.

If the last meeting meeting between these two teams was any indication, then we're in for a Christmas Day shootout.

Kobe Bryant (29.7 points per game) and Carmelo Anthony (28.3 points per game) are first and second in the NBA in scoring, while the Lakers (fifth) and Knicks (sixth) both hover around the top five in the NBA in team scoring.

With high-powered offenses on both sides, Tuesday's matinee may come down to team defense, where the Knicks hold an advantage of their Western Conference counterparts.

Mike Woodson's bunch currently ranks 12th in the NBA in team defense, allowing96.5 points per game and just 95.7 points over their last three contests.

The Lakers, on the other hand, rank 22nd in the NBA in team defense, surrendering 99.9 points per game to opponents and a rather concerning 104.3 over their last three games.

The silver lining in all of this is that Mike D'Antoni's squad has held opponents to a healthier 96.1 points per game at home this season.

Keep it locked here on Bleacher Report throughout the day as the Knicks and Lakers get set to tip things off at 3 p.m. ET on ABC.

Half-time:  by Mike Prada Dec25, 4:11 pm

SB Nation (Dec25,2k12)

Metta World Peace scored 16 second-quarter points to lead the Lakers to a two-point halftime lead over the Knicks.

The second quarter of the Christmas Day showdown between the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers was much more ragged than the first. At the half, the Lakers emerged with a lead thanks to the exploits of Metta World Peace. World Peace scored 16 second-quarter points and the Lakers are in front, 51-49.

World Peace was indeed the offensive star for the Lakers. He hit three-pointers off pindown screens offensively and locked down Carmelo Anthony well defensively. Anthony has 10 points in the half, but has shot just 4-of-11 from the field, and his first two field goals came with Darius Morris guarding him.

Kobe Bryant added 15 first-half points for the Lakers, but 13 of those came in the first quarter.

e and has hit both difficult and easy shots.

J.R. Smith was the man who truly got it going for the Knicks in that second quarter. He has 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting at halftime and has hit both difficult and easy shots.

Yahoo!Sports (Dec26,2k12)

Final Score

Los Angeles Lakers 100 

beat New York Knicks 94