The Los Angeles Lakers needed overtime to fend off the New York Knicks on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden. LeBron James (and every NBA fan) was just thankful the officials were not the story.

“Well, the difference between here and Boston is obviously self-explanatory,” LeBron said about what changed between the Lakers' win in New York and their controversial OT loss to the Boston Celtics on Saturday. “The game was decided by the players. In Boston, the game was decided by the refs.”

LeBron cited specific plays down the stretch by Jalen Brunson, Anthony Davis (27 points), and both the Lakers and Knicks that ultimately resulted in a 129-123 win by the road squad. Russell Westbrook (17/8/6) starred in overtime, while Rui Hachimua (19 points) was steady throughout.

As you surely recall, the Lakers were hosed in Boston via a non-call on Jayson Tatum, who smacked LeBron's arm on a potentially buzzer-beating layup. Patrick Beverley was T'd up for bringing out a camera displaying a still shot of the foul, AD claimed the Lakers were “cheated“, and the NBA and lead official acknowledged the mistake postgame, which was confirmed by the Last Two Minute report. It was the fourth game within a two-week stretch in which the Lakers (justifiably) felt like they were on the wrong side of officiating in game-deciding moments. LeBron has repeatedly taken to Twitter or the podium to express his confusion.

Refs aside, the Lakers have been one of the league's worst crunch-time teams for a variety of reasons: questionable rotations, injuries, Westbrook's decision-making, and inconsistent execution on both ends when the game slows down. The Lakers struggle to make timely jumpers and typically thrive in transition.

On Tuesday, the Lakers were relieved to be on the right side of a close contest and not have to expect another infuriating L2M report.

“Disappointment after disappointment after disappointment, it’s time to have encouragement,” said Darvin Ham. “And a win like this gives you tons of encouragement.”

LeBron, playing on a gimpy ankle, posted his first triple-double of the season — rendering him the lone 20-year veteran to accomplish the feat. He finished with 28 points (11-of-25 FG), 10 rebounds, and 11 assists and took over fourth place on the NBA's all-time assists list while moving within 89 points of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the scoring record.

“I mean, it’s just a matter of time when I’m going to do it,” LeBron said about the pressure as he nears Kareem.. “It’s not heavy. I’m not going anywhere. I’m going to be in this league for at least a few more years. I’m going to do it. It’s not heavy at all.”

The record will be the talk of the NBA for the next several days. Before and after, though, the Lakers need to consistently win close games.