SummerKnicks 117, SummerLakers 96: Scenes from the only Summer League game that mattered

Tonight, for the first time this Summer League, the Knicks looked exactly like a team that should have been the betting favorites to win the whole thing.

Maybe it was just cruddy competition (the 0-4 Lakers) or maybe these guys truly turned a corner at the last possible moment, but the Knicks absolutely rolled the Lakers tonight, 117-96.

And highlights! Boy oh boy, were there highlights!

How about a few from the positively resurgent R.J. Barrett, who had 21 points, 10 rebounds and three assists for the upstart Knicks?

Honestly, the shooting percentages still left a little to be desired, but even some of R.J.’s misses carried a heavy dose of promise:

Speaking of promise — I promise you that Mitchell Robinson will win a Defensive Player of the Year some day. BOOK IT.

Mitch finished with a positively dominant 13 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks in 24 minutes. And in case you thought the kid just blocks shots:

Oh, and shoutout to Mitch for A) not losing his shit when some jabroni on the Lakers snatched his headband and threw it at him and B) pulling a beautiful Amar’e/Shane Battier “Sure buddy, I’ll help you up! ...Not!” fake-out just moments later.

Somehow I’ve gotten this far without even mentioning the dominant leading scorer on the Knicks tonight (who also happens to still only be 19) Kevin Knox, who finished with 25 points, seven boards and three assists on 7-12 shooting.

And look at the kid impersonating a certain Knick that used to wear No. 7:

Kadeem Allen and Ignas Brazdeikis rounded out a dominant effort for the Knick starters — Kadeem with 13 points and six assists on 6-6 shooting, and Iggy with 16 points on 5-10 shooting (4-5 from three).

So much positivity! This feels very foreign after a week of crappy play. Revel in it, and Stingy will have your recap in the AM.