Coming into the Pride Night game at Madison Square Garden, the Sacramento Kings (12-36) had lost five straight and nine consecutive road games. They lost by 23 in Detroit on Sunday. One of the highlights of their season was the January 14 win over the Knicks (28*-18), which surely must have been a fluke.
Not so fast, sassafras. After plodding through the opening minutes, New York managed to finish the first quarter with a 10-point lead, primarily due to Mitchell Robinson being a wrecking ball off the bench. After scoring 36 in the first frame, though, New York managed just 16 in the second, could not figure out how to guard DeMar DeRozan, and held a scant 52-51 lead at halftime. In the third, DeRozan kept cooking, Anunoby turned it over five times, and despite Sacramento shooting blanks from three, the game was tied at 72 going into the fourth, when Captain Clutch donned his cape and dropped 11 points to blow the lid off the game. Final score, 103-87.
This game had a season high and a season low. Their 21 turnovers were the most given away by the Knicks this season, and Sacramento’s 32 three-point attempts were the fewest taken against New York so far. Brunson carried the offense with 28 points on 9-of-17 shooting, hit four threes, and posted a +17 plus-minus.
The league’s leading rebounder, Karl-Anthony Towns, delivered a 17-11 double-double, but was up-and-down tonight. Mikal Bridges was quietly excellent, scoring 18 on 8-of-13, and finishing with a +14. OG Anunoby filled the stat sheet with 15 points, three threes, and two steals, but his seven turnovers were rough on the eyes. Josh Hart did Josh Hart things (nine boards, four dimes, three steals), but seven points on just six shot attempts plus four turnovers made it a mixed bag.
Tonight’s lion was Robinson. He changed the game off the bench with 13 rebounds (six offensive), two steals, and a massive +25. Played 27 minutes, too. Give the man his hard hat and boots, coach.
For Sac Town, DeRozan did everything he could, pouring in 34 points on 13-of-26 shooting with seven free throws, but finished -17. Domantas Sabonis posted a low-calorie near triple-double with 11 points, 12 rebounds, and seven assists. And Russell Westbrook tallied 14 points on 6-of-19, 2-of-9 from three, and six turnovers.
First Half
Load management dictates that Mitchell Robinson plays one game of back-to-backs. Why would the Knicks employ him against the Kings rather than reserve him for tomorrow’s tilt with the third-place Raptors? These are the mysteries of the universe. Regardless, Mitch came off the bench and owned the quarter, playing half the period and grabbing almost a rebound per minute. Fittingly, his tip-in dunk closed the period.
Friends and neighbors, this is actual speed.
The Kings’ offense was a mess. They shot 40% from the floor and 3-of-9 from deep. DeRozan ate his usual diet of midrangers, but Westbrook and Schröder were bricking, and Sabonis had trouble holding onto the rock. Sacramento held a small lead until the midway point, when Brunson and Bridges hit the gas. Playing all 12 minutes, Jalen drilled two threes and attacked the lane aggressively (the ankle looks good!), scoring 10. Bridges followed with a nifty 4-of-6 for nine.
As the offense improved, so did the defense. With timely steals from Anunoby, Shamet, and KAT, the Knicks stretched their lead to ten. By the buzzer, they were ahead 36-26.
For one stretch this season, Tyler Kolek would start the second quarter at the point to give Brunson a break. With Shamet back in the fold, that trend has come to an end. He’s had two DNPs over the last seven games, logged 2:41 against the Mavs, and, when he last saw action, played less than 10 minutes against Brooklyn. Tonight, he didn’t take the floor in the first half, and we’re reminded that a lot can happen before the February 5 trade deadline.
In Q2, that fine first-half shooting fell apart for New York. The offense stalled with Brunson on the bench, and didn’t necessarily improve when he returned. Turnovers were the biggest bugaboo. New York’s 11 giveaways were the most they’d coughed up in a first half this season. How bad did it get? In the second period, New York squeaked out just 16 points.
DeRozan led the rally, scoring at will inside the arc and from the free-throw line. As the only King in double-digit points, he kept the game competitive by himself. Deebo’s just giving potential trade destinations some fresh tape! With DeMar aflame and the Knicks crashing the plane, the Kings came back to overtake the Knicks just before the buzzer, but a KAT drive made the intermission score 52-51. (Can you imagine, some fool predicted the home team to win by 60?)
DeRozan’s only triple in the half:
Other than the three-point shooting, which New York won 38%-27%, the halftime statistics were essentially identical on both sides of the column. The Kings had a few more rebounds, the Knicks had a few more assists. Brunson was the only Knick in double-digits, with 13 points.
Second Half
Hey, refs! Jalen Brunson got hammered in the third quarter, and not in a Jose Cuervo kinda way. On the broadcast, Clyde said something about him flopping a lot as a reason for the umps swallowing their whistles while Jalen ate the court. Frazier also bemoaned the fact that once again, the Knicks were letting one guy beat them while DeRozan bucketed and bucketed . . . and bucketed. . . . Who can argue the logic of an elder twice enshrined in the Hall of Fame.
Swear my grandmother had that couch.
Through the third, New York coughed up the ball five more times. The weird thing is that all five were committed by Anunoby. Note, the Kings were shooting 18% from deep (4-of-21), but the Knicks still couldn’t get any breathing room. Playing disorganized defense—and offense for that matter—they let the Kings regain the lead by the middle of the quarter and tie the game at 72 by the end. After scoring 36 points in the first frame, New York managed just 36 points in the second and third frames combined. And the Kings’ defense is ranked 27th in the league.
Every time we start to think the Knicks are back on track, they don’t take care of business against the dregs of the league. Anunoby doesn’t deserve all the blame. Brunson and Towns were uneven in the quarter, too. If not for Mitchell Robinson, they’d be trailing from a distance. The big fella posted four points, grabbed six rebounds (three offensive), and added a steal.
Behold this gorgeous giraffe.
Towns drilled two early treys to start the fourth quarter and passionately exhorted the crowd to its feet. For the moment, he seemed engaged and excited. Brunson woke up, too, and scored in the face of Precious Achiuwa (who worked all the revenge juice out of his system in their last matchup, evidently), and gradually the Knicks’ lead grew to 12. Brunson tallied 11 fourth-quarter points and hit three threes to finally put some daylight on the scoreboard. Meanwhile, Westbrick shot 1-0f-6 from deep to deep-six any hopes of a rally.
Wins feel great. We just hope that the extra effort exerted by the starters tonight doesn’t bite them tomorrow when . . . .
Up Next
It’s a quick jaunt across the border for a tussle with the Toronto Raptors tomorrow eve! Safe travels, Knickerbockers.
* Should be one more, but the NBA Cup doesn’t count.
