The New York Knicks defeated the Los Angeles Lakers, 124-123, at Madison Square Garden on Sunday afternoon.

The Knicks (13-57) got out to a rousing start, racking up 41 first-quarter points against a defensively sluggish Lakers (31-39) squad that may have been struggling with its body clock. Los Angeles seemingly woke up in the second quarter, however, erasing the entirety of their deficit and forging a three-point halftime lead. The back-and-forth nature of the game persisted in the second half, but the visitors appeared to be on their way to a win after opening up a seven-point advantage with two minutes remaining. That's when New York made one final push, finishing on an 8-0 run that was punctuated with game-tying and go-ahead throws by Emmanuel Mudiay at the 22.3-second mark of the fourth quarter. The Lakers' last chance at a win went by the wayside when Mario Hezonja stuffed LeBron James' 13-footer with 2.3 seconds remaining.

James led the way for the Lakers with 33 points, adding eight assists, six rebounds and one block. Kyle Kuzma managed 18 points, eight assists and one steal. Reggie Bullock poured in 14 points. JaVale McGee and Johnathan Williams contributed matching 12-point, seven-rebound tallies. Alex Caruso matched their scoring total and added three rebounds, two assists, five steals and three blocks. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope pitched in 11 points and four rebounds.

Mudiay paced the Knicks with 28 points, complementing them with eight assists, two rebounds and one block. Dewayne Dotson poured in 25 points and added six boards and one assist. Kevin Knox delivered 19 points, six boards, one assist and one steal. Hezonja managed 17 points, eight boards, one assist, one steal and one block. Deandre Jordan generated a 15-point, 17-rebound double-double that included seven assists, two steals and one block.

The Lakers pay a visit to the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday evening, while the Knicks pay a visit to the New York Knicks on Monday night.