LOS ANGELES — After a week-and-a-half of speculation about his balky left knee, LeBron James decided to end the discussion.

In the fourth quarter as he charged down in transition, Alec Burks managed to foul him on the floor. But unable to make a basket that counted, James decided to make a statement: He kept going, flushing a powerful reverse jam just to show that he could.

The 37-year-old loves nothing more than a grand gesture – and if he can make one in a victory, all the better.

Powered by James’ return from a five-game absence, continued two-way dominance by Anthony Davis and a second-half surge by Malik Monk, the Lakers (25-27) wound up with a 122-115 win Saturday afternoon in overtime against the visiting New York Knicks. Both of the storied coastal franchises have underachieved this season, but when the Lakers have James, he always gives them a puncher’s chance.

After a 20-minute on-court warm-up that saw James look a little rusty, he was ruled to be strong enough to return, wearing a full-length black sleeve on his left leg. Whatever rust he had shown prior to tip-off quickly fell away as he charged at the rim and picked up on the same hot streak where he left off: His final line was 29 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists in 40 minutes – and the Lakers needed every second he gave.

“After the first quarter, the knee loosened up a lot more, my mind loosened up a lot more, and I was able to just play basketball,” James said. “I was just happy to be back on the floor with my guys. Missed them. Missed the game.”

James was missed, too, notching his 19th straight game of 25 points or more.

Never ones to finish a job efficiently this season, the Lakers needed an overtime period to put away their pesky guests. They led by seven points with 1:17 remaining, but missed two shots and four of their five free throws down the stretch.

R.J. Barrett pulled up in transition for a gutty three with 8.1 seconds in regulation to tie the game, the last of his game-high 36 points.

The Lakers made a bold call to bench Russell Westbrook for the extra period. But the lineup that closed for the Lakers – including Monk, Trevor Ariza and Talen Horton-Tucker – got the job done defensively, holding the Knicks to just four points in overtime.

Coach Frank Vogel said he knew that James would command the ball, and that he thought Horton-Tucker would give the Lakers more on defense and with off-ball actions in overtime. Said Vogel: “You just make tough decisions in the spirit of winning games.”

Davis put the final touches of another strong game with his third steal, picking the pocket of Julius Randle and cruising in for his own uncontested dunk to take a seven-point lead with 23.1 seconds remaining.

Still, Davis shot a disapproving look at the final box score sheet afterward, unsatisfied with having allowed the Knicks to score 71 points in the first half, and making just 17 of their 28 free throws. It was only in the second half when the Lakers showed the team they believe themselves to be.

“We just dig ourselves in  a hole too much,” Davis said.

Up through a half, Saturday’s game had ominous been in the running for the low point of the season.

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The Lakers came out limp and lifeless, ceding a 9-point Knicks lead and forcing Vogel to call a timeout less than a minute-and-a-half into the game. That huddle didn’t seem to have the intended effect: When the Lakers called a timeout a few minutes later, they were down 23-8.

The hottest Knick out of the gates was Barrett. As New York shot better than 68% in the first quarter, Barrett hit six of his seven attempts – nearly reaching his scoring average (17.5 ppg) in less than eight minutes for 17 points.

Randle, the former Laker lottery pick, came out determined to put on a show as well, knocking down early jumpers while showcasing the midrange game he’s cultivated since Los Angeles let him walk. But the best thing the Knicks did was play fast: They had 11 fast break points in the first quarter alone, pouncing on the inexplicably lethargic Lakers defense.

As the lead ballooned to 21 points in the second quarter, the sellout crowd began to turn on the home team. After Westbrook fired a midrange jumper off the side of the backboard, boos began swelling in the arena. Westbrook’s play wasn’t well-received on the Lakers’ bench either: For the last 1:51 of the second quarter, Vogel benched Westbrook in favor of Horton-Tucker.

Westbrook never pulled out of his shooting funk, finishing with 5 points, 6 assists and 4 rebounds. In the final minute, he stepped to the free throw line with a chance to clinch the game, but missed both attempts. His benching was the second time this season the Lakers have put him on ice in crunch time, both in the middle of woeful shooting slumps. Davis said he thought Westbrook had to “get out of his own head,” and teammates were trying to encourage him to find his rhythm.

While Westbrook acknowledged he struggled, he pushed back on the idea that he was unhappy with his role: “I don’t care about anything as long as we won.”

A 31-13 third quarter in favor of the Lakers was spurred on by Monk, just a day after his 24th birthday. He scored 18 of his 29 points in the third by himself, quickly erased the gap. When Davis slammed back a missed James fadeaway with 4:42 left in the third quarter, the Lakers took their first lead and were rolling with momentum.

Momentum is something they’d like to have in a larger context: The win was just their second in their last six games. The Lakers have had James, Davis and Westbrook for just 17 games, with a 10-7 record in that stretch.