After LeBron James left the court, DeRozan finally got the ball in his hands in a big way again. It didn't take long for him to show off the incredible talent that had once made him the Eastern Conference's top shooting guard.
His superb mid-range finishing skills let him easily overpower Hart, Walker, and the others defending him.
Whether he was shooting off the dribble, backing his man down for a mid-range shot, or catching and shooting after an off-ball cut, DeRozan made it look effortless.
With his shot falling, he sank a mid-range jumper in four straight possessions, scoring eight points and leading the Lakers on an 8–2 run against the Knicks to cut the deficit to three.
That blazing run forced Thibodeau to call an early timeout and put Chen Xi back on the court.
Fortunately, Chen's return had an immediate effect.
Chen was matched up with DeRozan right away. With DPOY-level intensity, he completely shut down DeRozan's offense over the next several possessions, forcing the Lakers to shift the ball to Little Rivers, Horton Tucker, and the others.
Their finishing efficiency clearly couldn't compare to DeRozan's, who had been on a tear.
Before long, the Knicks had regained control and stretched their lead back to six.
The Lakers then called a timeout, giving LeBron James a chance to return to the game.
James's return didn't make much of a difference to the Lakers' offense.
He first tried two three-pointers to test his shooting touch.
After both missed, he immediately changed tack, driving into the paint and dishing the ball to get the offense moving.
It helped, but not by much.
Meanwhile, the Knicks relied on Chen and Rose to orchestrate the offense, along with Grant exploiting the mismatch against Rivers, and managed to maintain a steady lead.