Shannon Brown gives the Lakers a lift against Knicks

Over and over, Shannon Brown referred to how his off-the-court issues had affected his performance on the court for the Lakers.

Over and over, Brown continued to talk about how he made excuses for his substandard play because his problems away from basketball weighed on him.

Brown preferred not to divulge exactly what has caused him so much trouble.

Whatever it was, he seems to have put it in the past — if his last two games are an indication.

One night after scoring 12 points on four-for-six shooting against the Boston Celtics in a 92-86 victory, Brown had another solid game against the New York Knicks on Friday night.

He scored 12 points again, this time on six-for-10 shooting.

“I was just making some excuses that I didn’t need to make,” Brown said. “I wasn’t going out and handling my business and helping this team win.”

Brown did his part to help the Lakers defeat the Knicks, 113-96, at Madison Square Garden.

He admitted that his confidence has started to return.

“It wasn’t necessarily about basketball stuff,” Brown said. “It was just life in general, normal every day things. It’s all about getting better, getting stronger. Just going out there and having fun. Basketball has to continue to be my relief like it used to be.”

Brown said he had to regain his focus, and that it had to be on basketball and helping the Lakers win games.

“I’m not letting any excuses about things getting in my way,” Brown said. “Whether it’s on the court or whether it’s off the court, I’m just going out there and being professional and doing my job to the best of my ability. I’m trying to help this team win and we’re getting better every day. Everybody has to be on the same page for this thing to work.

“These games are important for us. So it’s just time to settle down and get it done.”

Brown did just that against the Knicks.

His defense was equally as good as his offense against New York, and one fed the other on a particularly eye-catching play.

He stepped in front of a pass by Shawne Williams and raced upcourt.

There was a buzz in the crowd as Brown began his liftoff, the noise increasing after he threw down a dunk.

“I heard them, but I was making sure [Landry] Fields didn’t catch me,” Brown said, smiling.

A few plays later, Brown ran the court on the fastbreak and made eye contact with point guard Steve Blake.

Blake delivered a lob pass to Brown that he grabbed with his right hand and threw down for a dunk, hanging on the rim with his left hand in the process.

“I actually kept my eyes on the rim the whole time,” Brown said. “I think that’s how I dunked it. I put my hand out and it was like a suction cup, so when I felt I had it, I just wanted to put it in. The next thing I knew, I was hanging on the rim.”

broderick.turner@latimes.com

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