Knicks forward Julius Randle drives to the basket against the Lakers in the third quarter of an NBA game at Madison Square Garden on Monday. Credit: AP/Wendell Cruz
As the Knicks prepared to take the floor against the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night, it presented a test — just not the kind of test they might have anticipated when they first saw the schedule.
There was no LeBron James or Anthony Davis to face the Knicks at the Garden for a team believed to be a title favorite. Instead, with a patchwork lineup, the Lakers presented a challenge for the Knicks to prove that in a season in which anything seems possible, are they prepared to take advantage of it?