Former Kings coach Mike Brown shared his memories in Sacramento on Jan. 14, 2026 before facing his former team. By HECTOR AMEZCUA
DeMar DeRozan carried the Sacramento Kings through three quarters — but he didn’t get enough scoring help Tuesday night, and they fell apart in the final 12 minutes.
The future Hall of Famer had 34 points while none of his teammates reached double digits until Russell Westbrook’s tip in with 8:11 remaining, and the Kings’ losing streak extended to six games with a 103-87 defeat to the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
The game was a defensive struggle throughout, and the Knicks pulled away in the fourth quarter after beginning the frame tied at 72. New York got clutch baskets.
Sacramento’s offense appeared gridlocked, stuck in place much like traffic on the streets of Manhattan after the recent snow storm.
The Kings’ 87 points were their fewest in a game this season. Sacramento was without leading scorer Zach LaVine for the second straight game, while Malik Monk, who averaged 15.5 points over his previous 10 games, was out with an ankle injury.
“Deebo did everything that he could,” Kings coach Doug Christie said. “You can’t play him a whole 48 minutes.”
DeRozan, who played the entire fourth quarter, led Sacramento with 38 minutes played. The Kings were out scored 31-15 in the fourth quarter while shooting 7 of 20. DeRozan shot 50% on the night while his teammates made just 22 of 61 (36%).
“We couldn’t make shots, we couldn’t execute, too many turnovers, they got hot,” DeRozan said about the fourth quarter, when the Knicks scored 7 points off Sacramento’s four turnovers.
The emblematic sequence came with 3:28 remaining when Domantas Sabonis air balled a 7-foot hook shot leading to Jalen Brunson’s jumper the other way making it a 12-point game. Brunson finished with 28, including 11 in the fourth quarter, while the Knicks had four players in double figures.
Westbrook finished with 14 points on 6-of-19 shooting with 6 turnovers while Sabonis added 11 points and 12 rebounds.
Trend: No offense, no victory
The Kings fell to 0-18 when scoring fewer than 105 points. Their six-game losing streak is their third-longest of the season. The longest was eight games from Nov. 7 to Nov. 20.
The Kings next face a back-to-back with games Thursday and Friday in Philadelphia and Boston, respectively.
DeMar DeRozan of the Sacramento Kings reacts against the Los Angeles Clippers during the first quarter at Intuit Dome on Dec. 30, 2025 in Inglewood. DeRozan scored 34 points Tuesday in a 103-87 loss to the Knicks in New York. Luke Hales Getty Images
The Kings came in losers of five straight after their four-game winning streak, which included the Jan. 14 win over the Knicks in Mike Brown’s first game in Sacramento since getting fired by the Kings 13 months earlier. New York won its previous two games, including a 120-66 win over the Brooklyn Nets.
The Kings limited New York’s third-ranked offense to 44.6% shooting in the first three quarters. They entered the final period with the game close; the Kings were 3-2 in games decided by 3 points or fewer entering Tuesday. But the Knicks didn’t let it get to that point by shooting 6-of-12 from 3 over the final 12 minutes.
Kings rookie continuing to get a chance
Rookie Nique Clifford was making his second straight start in place of LaVine after a season-high 33 minutes in Sunday’s loss to the Pistons. He scored 15 points for his first double-digit performance since Dec. 30.
Christie said he and Clifford had an individual film session before Tuesday’s game. Christie said they discussed “defense, center of gravity, how he approaches a player, the angle in which he approaches the player. If he’s in a pick and roll, how to bully through it.
Sacramento Kings guard Nique Clifford (5) dunks ball over Miami Heat forward Simone Fontecchio (0) in the second half during a game at Golden 1 Center on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026 in Sacramento. PAUL KITAGAKI JR. pkitagaki@sacbee.com
“But for him, it’s huge, in showing him the distance of the step and then the distance of the ball to player. That was the distance of the deflection or the steal, and understanding where he’s at, what he’s looking at in front of him. But he is a student, and he survived through the class.”
Clifford finished with 7 points and three rebounds and tied his season high with three steals. He scored Sacramento’s final two baskets of the third quarter, including a steal and going coast-to-coast for a reverse layup to tie the game at 72.
Weather affects Kings’ road trip
The Kings got to New York on Monday, after the storm that covered much of the eastern portion of the country on Sunday delayed their travel during their first two stops of their season-long six-game road trip. Fifteen inches of snow fell in New York on Sunday and into Monday morning.
They arrived at their hotel in Detroit at 4:45 a.m. Saturday after they were delayed out of Cleveland following Friday night’s game.
“This is part of our league,” Christie said. “I’ve personally had worse. But we’ve had practice days that have unfortunately been canceled, and it’s just a part of our business. And you have to adapt and adjust, and teach through film and different things. Hopefully we’ll get a day to practice, but it’s three in four days, so what can really get accomplished?
“But our guys, they have been good about it. We had a good film session when we left out of Detroit, because we unfortunately couldn’t practice. But that’s the nature of the beast. That’s how it goes. It’s not just us, it’ll happen for everybody.”