But it sure looked like Coach D'Antoni decided to place the starters on a short leash in light of another game against the Kings tonight right before Thanksgiving. The team did not come out sharp, but they stayed close until the end of the first half and even took the lead briefly at 41-40, before the Lakers ended the half with an eleven point run to go up ten. The Knick defense looked much better than it had any reason to given the huge mismatches (especially a Laker frontline of Artest, Gasol and Bynum against Gallinari, Chandler and Lee). But the offense was, once again, a big letdown, and too many shots were being taken by the wrong players (Chandler, Hughes and Duhon went 8 for 27 in the first half).

The Lakers flexed their muscles in the third quarter in building a 25 point lead, and it doesn't make sense to recap specific highlights and lowlights, as it all played out as if the teams had a gentlemen's agreement to play their respective roles, and not get too dirty in the process. This is where the coach's short leash came into play, as Duhon, Harrington, Hughes and Lee (who played 47, 40, 38 and 37 minutes respectively against Boston), saw their nights end quickly at Staples (25, 21, 21 and 20 minutes last night). 

Instead, we saw the most visible commitment to the "youth movement" yet with a lineup of Nate, Gallo, Douglas, Jordan Hill and Chandler for much of the 4th quarter -- Harrington actually played some minutes with the second unit at first, but once it became clear he left his shot back at the team bus that got stuck in traffic and arrived 45 minutes before the game, Gallo took Al's place and was left to play with one of the Knicks' youngest lineups since D'Antoni became the coach.

I was personally impressed with the effort of this lineup (outside of Chandler, who ended up 5 for 20), even though it was clear that their ability to cut the huge deficit  was a result of the Lakers being hugely disinterested (not to mention that as good as this Laker team is, their bench is lackluster). The young guys are not great playmakers (so for all the screaming of exasperated fans, Duhon is going to keep playing), but their energy was good, and I continue to believe Jordan Hill is a diamond in the rough. His athleticism and spring around the basket completely stand out, and he looked more comfortable defending players like Bynum and Odom than any other Knick.

Eddy Curry played only 6 minutes and had 2 points, 3 turnovers and 2 fouls, before being diagnosed with a sore left knee and sitting out. I understand the need to "showcase" Eddy, and see what he can do to give the anemic offense a different look. But he's far from game shape, and this latest development is likely the continuation of many stops and starts on the road to recovery. I'm rooting for him, but I'm not upset about the opportunity given to Hill by Eddy's temporary setback.

Both Hill (+12) and Douglas (+8) were the only players with a positive +/- , and 12 and 7 points respectively with an eFG of 75% (even in garbage time), is nice. No assists for Toney, though, which will make it hard for him to get off the bench for games that matter except for instant offense, as long as Duhon, Hughes and Nate are ahead in the depth chart. Nate did look a little gimpy (I thought he retweaked his ankle), but he played most of the 2nd half in his typically spirited but ragged fashion, so I assume he's OK unless there are reports otherwise.

Important game against the Kings tonight -- their only winnable game, realistically, on this West Coast trip -- and the Knick offense is going to have to show up this time. The Kings are one of the most efficient teams in the league offensively, are particularly tough on the offensive boards, and Tyreke Evans is the real deal (I don't think Brandon Jennings has the ROY race quite locked up this early, that's how good Evans has been). The Kings are actually worse than the Knicks defensively, so the Knicks have a chance if they can be smarter with their shot selection and stay more competitive on the glass than against the Lakers (60-36 rebounding deficit, ouch).