NEW YORK — In what may have been Kobe Bryant’s final game at Madison Square Garden, the Los Angeles Lakers’ star won the crowd, but a late 3-pointer by Langston Galloway and tough defense in the final minutes made sure the New York Knicks won the game for their first home victory of the season.
Galloway, a guard, nailed a 3-pointer from the wing with two minutes remaining for a two-point New York lead, and the Knicks never trailed again on their way to a 99-95 win on Sunday.
Forward Carmelo Anthony led the Knicks with a game-high 24 points, 11 of them in the fourth quarter, on 8-for-20 shooting and also grabbed eight rebounds. Point guard Jose Calderon added 14 points, center Robin Lopez had 14 points, 13 rebounds and four assists, and Galloway dropped in 14 points off the bench on 5-for-9 shooting.
Drawing a roar from the New York crowd on almost every shot attempt, the 37-year-old Bryant finished with a team-high 18 points on 6-of-18 shooting. Center Roy Hibbert added 18 points and nine rebounds, second-year guard Jordan Clarkson chipped in with 10 points, and forward Julius Randle grabbed 11 rebounds.
Bryant’s afternoon was no feel-good story for his former Lakers teammate, Knicks head coach Derek Fisher, who was ejected with 7:11 left in the third quarter. He was dismissed for arguing with the officials when rookie Kristaps Porzingis was whistled for fouling Bryant on a 3-point attempt.
Another former Laker, Kurt Rambis, took over for Fisher.
Bryant was then serenaded with chants of “M-V-P!” from the Garden crowd when he went to the foul line. The Knicks recovered to take a 71-70 lead into the fourth quarter thanks to a go-ahead 3-pointer by Galloway.
The Lakers led by as many as eight points early in the third quarter when rookie point guard D’Angelo Russell, the No. 2 overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft, dished out a pair of assists to Randle, but the Knicks answered with an 8-0 run that featured a pair of buckets by Anthony to tie it at 55.
The visitors grabbed a 49-45 halftime lead as Bryant led all scorers with 10 points on 4-for-11 shooting. Los Angeles held the Knicks to 34.7 percent shooting before the break, including a 3-for-9 showing by Anthony.
Bryant is used to having memorable nights on the road against the Knicks, as his 61-point explosion on Feb. 2, 2009, was the single-game scoring record at Madison Square Garden before Anthony erupted for a career-high 62 points against the visiting Charlotte Bobcats on Jan. 25, 2014. Bryant entered the afternoon with the highest scoring average at MSG of any active player at 30.7 points per game in 15 games.
NOTES: Lakers coach Byron Scott hinted that this may be G Kobe Bryant’s final season, saying he asked Bryant about something next summer: “His answer was, ‘This might be my last year,’” Scott said. … Bryant shot down the idea of potentially becoming a coach after he retires: “I don’t feel like dealing with divas.” … Knicks G Arron Afflalo missed his seventh straight game with a hamstring injury to start the season. … Knicks F/C Kristaps Porzingis has joined Patrick Ewing (1985), Jim Barnes (1964) and Willis Reed (1964) as the only rookies in Knicks history to put up at least 70 points and 50 rebounds through their first six games.