Doncic and James propel Lakers to 113-109 overtime victory over Knicks for 8th straight win

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Luka Doncic scored 32 points, LeBron James added 31 and the Los Angeles Lakers extended their winning streak to eight games by overcoming a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter and defeating the New York Knicks 113-109 in overtime Thursday night.

Doncic, who also had 12 assists and eight rebounds, had five points in overtime as the Lakers improved to 9-2 since he made his LA debut on Feb. 10.

James scored the Lakers' final four points, all at the foul line, and finished with 12 rebounds and eight assists for Los Angeles.

Knicks star Jalen Brunson was injured on a drive in overtime, twisting his right ankle and foot as he crashed to the floor after contact with Austin Reaves and with James close behind. Reaves was called for a foul after a review, and Brunson made both free throws before limping off after the Knicks intentionally fouled to stop the clock.

Brunson had 39 points and 10 assists.

The game was tied at 107 before Jaxson Hayes made a pair of free throws with 59.7 seconds remaining to put the Lakers on top for good.

James then made a pair of foul shots to put Los Angeles up by four after Karl Anthony-Towns was called for a loose ball foul after Miles McBride missed a jumper.

Knicks: New York has the league's fifth-best record at 40-22, but is 0-9 against Cleveland, Oklahoma City, Boston and the Lakers, the four teams ahead of them.

Lakers: Los Angeles was 7 of 15 from beyond the arc in the fourth quarter and overtime after going 7 of 27 the first three quarters.

Los Angeles trailed 90-80 with 6:57 remaining before going on a 19-6 run to take its first lead since early in the second quarter. Gabe Vincent’s 3-pointer with 1:21 remaining gave the Lakers a 99-96 advantage before the Knicks evened it at 99 on Brunson’s three-point play.

New York had a chance to send it to overtime, but Josh Hart couldn’t get a shot off in the lane as time expired.

The Lakers didn't get to the foul line in the fourth quarter, but were 5 of 6 in overtime.

The Knicks are at the LA Clippers on Friday, while the Lakers begin a four-game road trip against Boston on Saturday.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

New York Knicks guard Josh Hart, left, shoots as Los Angeles Lakers center Jaxson Hayes defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, March 6, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic, right, dribbles as New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson waits for him during the first half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, March 6, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby, left, tires to pass as Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, March 6, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Actor/director Spike Lee watches during the first half of an NBA basketball game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the New York Knicks, Thursday, March 6, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns, right, shoots as Los Angeles Lakers guard Dalton Knecht, left, and center Trey Jemison III defend during the first half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, March 6, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) shoots as Los Angeles Lakers center Jaxson Hayes (11) defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, March 6, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) shoots as New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, March 6, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves, right, drives past New York Knicks guard Miles McBride during the first half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, March 6, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) shoots as Los Angeles Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt (2) and center Trey Jemison III (55) defend during the first half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, March 6, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) shoots as New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) and guard Josh Hart (3) defends while center Jaxson Hayes (11) watches during the first half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, March 6, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Scott McLaughlin waited 12 months to erase the worst memory of his life.

He spent the time contemplating the haunting images of a spinning car hitting the wall last May before the race had even started, his hands flapping in anger and the frustration sinking in as he climbed out. All the inconsolable McLaughlin could do was cover his face.

He's not going to blow it Sunday at another sold-out Indianapolis 500.

Instead, McLaughlin intends to take full advantage of a second chance on Indianapolis Motor Speedway's 2.5-mile oval, and he hopes to show everyone what he's learned and how resilient he's become as he tries to write a worst-to-first script.

“No doubt I’ve come back stronger from it,” he said. “I don’t think I’m driving differently this year because of it. I’m just looking forward to getting back into the race, creating a new storyline, getting on with it. I’d love to go zero to hero, of course, but driving with emotion like that is probably a detriment. I've just got to go out there, execute and see what I’ve got.”

The 32-year-old New Zealander has returned to Indy with a steadier, more determined mindset to prove he won't make the same mistake twice. He didn't duck any questions about what happened, even if it still seems inexplicable.

But at Team Penske, it's not just McLaughlin seeking redemption this weekend.

Last May might have been the worst for team founder Roger Penske since 1995, when neither of his two-time 500 winners — Al Unser Jr. or Emerson Fittipaldi — made the 33-car starting field, with the open-wheel split keeping Penske away from Indy for the next five years.

In 2025, the trouble started long before McLaughlin crashed while warming up his tires as he was driving past pit lane. Two-time defending champion Josef Newgarden and 2018 Indy 500 winner Will Power were both penalized following a post-qualifying inspection that showed each car had illegally modified rear attenuators.

It marked the second time in 14 months The Captain's team had been tarnished by a cheating scandal. In April 2024, Newgarden was stripped of his win and McLaughlin lost his third-place finish at the season-opening race in St. Petersburg because they improperly used the push-to-pass button on restarts — a rule that was changed earlier this month after a dozen drivers did the same thing at Long Beach. The new rule will allow all 33 drivers to use it on restarts Sunday, the first time on an oval.

“What happened there was a nothing burger,” Newgarden said when asked about Long Beach. “I mean look, I don't have much to say about it, it doesn't matter to me. I'm here in Indianapolis.”

But the second infraction sent both cars to the back of the starting grid, essentially ending Newgarden's opportunity to become the first driver in race history with three straight 500 wins and Power's chance to add a second Indy crown in his contract year. Three key team executives —president Tim Cindric, IndyCar managing director Ron Ruzewski and IndyCar general manager Kyle Moyer — were fired.

The three drivers' race-day results were subpar, too, for a team with a record 20 Indy wins. Power was the team's best finisher, in 16th and one lap behind the leaders. Newgarden dropped out with 66 laps to go and came in 22nd. And McLaughlin, Penske's top qualifier, didn't complete a single lap.

This year, McLaughlin and Newgarden came back to Indy with a new teammate, David Malukas, who drives the No. 12 car Power occupied for more than a decade. McLaughlin also has a new race strategist, Cindric.

And while Malukas and McLaughlin already have put Team Penske in more favorable position this May, starting third and ninth, Newgarden struggled in qualifying. He'll start 23rd, in the middle of Row 8, though it's still a nine-spot improvement over last year's starting spot. The combination at least gives Penske's team a fighting chance on the track he owns.

“I'm just going into it like I do any race,” Malukas said when asked about starting on the outside of Row 1. "I'll just watch previous race starts from that position, just getting a collection of data to see where people funnel out, funnel in. I'll just go with the flow.”

Newgarden, however, will have to manage traffic all around him after earning his worst starting spot since 2013 with the exception of last year's penalty.

And then there's McLaughlin, who has a second chance to prove to his fans and the team that last year was an aberration and this year could have a storybook ending.

“I feel like last year sucked and stunk, but it’s part of my journey,” he said. “I feel like I’ve gotten years of experience in one. It was a tough thing. I never wish that upon my worst enemy, as I’ve said. It’s something I’ve grown from, for sure. But it put a lot of perspective in my life.”

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

David Maluka, left, talks with Caio Collet before practice for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Monday, May 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

David Malukas leads a pack of cars into the first turn during practice for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Monday, May 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Former winners of the Indianapolis 500 auto race pose at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Monday, May 18, 2026. Front row, left to right, Will Power, of Australia; Josef Newgarden; Alex Palou, of Spain; and Scott Dixon, of New Zealand. Second row: left to right, Alexander Rossi; Ryan Hunter-Reay; Helio Castroneves, of Brazil; Takuma Sato, of Japan; and Marcus Ericsson, of Sweden. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Scott McLaughlin (3) and Helio Castroneves, of Brazil, head into the first turn during practice for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Monday, May 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Ed Carpenter, left, talks with Scott McLaughlin before practice for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Monday, May 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)