Pilots like to say there’s no such thing as a bad landing. Coaches like to say there’s no such thing as a bad win. The Lakers led almost from start to finish, but they also nearly let a 25-point lead get away form them in the fourth quarter of tonight’s 100-90 victory over the New York Knicks. They outrebounded the Knicks by 60-36, but they also had 25 turnovers. They outscored New York, 28-17, in the third quarter but were outscored, 28-17, in the fourth.

Said Lakers coach Phil Jackson: “It’s one of those games that gets plodding the last six or eight minutes of the ballgame, so it doesn’t leave you with a great feeling when you walk out of the building. You know you won, but it’s not like a game where you felt it was well played and you did well. … We’re playing about 30 to 34 minutes right. We’re still missing about 14 minutes.”