Five takeaways from the Lakers’ 101-94 loss to the New York Knicks

The Lakers (17-47) fell to the New York Knicks (13-51) on Thursday, getting swept in the season series by the worst team in the NBA. Here are five takeaways from their 101-94 loss at Staples Center.

1) Knicks Coach Derek Fisher, a five-time NBA champion with the Lakers, got a rare win on Thursday -- although he wasn’t thrilled it was at the expense of his former squad.

“I don’t enjoy causing harm to people that I know closely or that I care about,” said Fisher. “We’re both going through challenging times at the moment. I feel good for us to get this win tonight, but I love and respect [Coach] Byron Scott and Kobe Bryant, and I love and respect the organization.

“I’m not going to celebrate because we won a couple of games this year. I think it’s about our future and where we are trying to go. [The Lakers] will be back. This organization has proven that before. They’ll be back.”

2) Scott, though, was unhappy with his team’s performance.

“This got away before the game even started,” said Scott. “Our mindset was nowhere where it should’ve been, let’s put it that way. I expressed that to them at halftime and at the end of the game.

“I think we were just selfish as a basketball team tonight. I think a lot of our guys came in here looking at New York, thinking this is going to be an easy win.”

The Knicks finished with 27 assists on 36 field goals (750%); the Lakers had just 18 on 38 (47.4%).

3) Jabari Brown scored seven points in his NBA debut, making his first three shots.

“Out of all our guys, I thought Jabari played the best,” said Scott. “I really did. He moved the ball, shot it well, got to the free-throw line and did a pretty good job defensively as well.”

The Lakers currently have four rookies on the roster, including first-round pick Julius Randle (seventh overall) and Jordan Clarkson (46th). Tarik Black and Brown were undrafted.

Forward Ryan Kelly is the only Laker with one year of experience, while center Robert Sacre has two.

Randle, Clarkson, Black, Brown, Kelly and Sacre’s combined years (nine) don’t near the tenure of Kobe Bryant, now in his 19th season

4) The Lakers dominated the glass 51 to 18, including a 15-4 advantage on the offensive boards, yet they still lost.

Black fouled out with 10 points and 11 rebounds, just the second double-double of his career. Ed Davis and Jordan Hill both had 10 rebounds apiece.

The Knicks hit nine three-pointers compared to the Lakers’ five and 20 free throws to 13. The Lakers actually had more field goals than New York, 38-36.

5) The Lakers continue to hold the fourth-worst record in the NBA, important for positioning in the draft lottery. If the Lakers do not finish with a top-five selection, the pick will go to the Philadelphia 76ers (via the Phoenix Suns).

The Lakers are “behind” the Minnesota Timberwolves (14-49), Philadelphia 76ers (14-50) and Knicks (13-51). The closest two teams to the Lakers in the standings are the Orlando Magic (21-45) and Sacramento Kings (22-41). The Lakers are likely to hold onto at least the fourth position in the lottery with 18 left to play.

The Lakers still play the Timberwolves and 76ers twice each. The Knicks and Sixers still play each other twice as well. The only way the Lakers can 100% guarantee themselves a top-five pick is to finish with the worst or second-worst record in the NBA. With the third-worst record, their odds are still high at 96%, but in their current fourth position, it’s a less comfortable 83.8%.

Email Eric Pincus at eric.pincus@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @EricPincus.