Apr 4, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) is fouled by Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray (13) during the second quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Last night was rough. What should have been a gritty Sacramento Kings victory instead fell apart at the end as the Kings fell in overtime to the Clippers. It’s a tough loss, especially with most teams ahead of the Kings in the standing surging. But the Kings don’t have much chance to mourn what could have been as they’ll have to face another tough opponent tonight in the New York Knicks.
Let’s talk Kings basketball!
**When:** Sunday, March 9th, 6:30 PM PT
**Where:** Intuit Dome, Los Angeles, CA
**TV:** ESPN, NBC Sports California
**Radio****:** Sactown Sports 1140 AM
For Your Consideration
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The Knicks have done very well this season, and thoroughly trounced the Kings back in late January (with yours truly in attendance – Madison Square Garden definitely lived up to the hype) 143-120. New York saw every single starter scoring at least 18 points, with OG Anunoby leading the way with 33 points on 12-18 from the floor. Anunoby, Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges combined to shoot a ridiculous 13-20 from distance and the Knicks scored 32+ in each quarter.
That kind of offensive production has been more of the norm for the Knicks this year, as they hold the 5th best Offensive Rating in the NBA. When you think of Tom Thibodeau-led teams, you don’t typically think of high powered offenses, but that’s kind of been the tone for his Knicks teams the last few years since they acquired Jalen Brunson. Brunson however, will not be playing against the Kings tonight due to a right ankle sprain he suffered a couple of games ago, making New York’s offense a lot less potent, if still dangerous. The Knicks still have plenty of guys who can score the ball in bunches, but Brunson is definitely the engine that keeps them going. Brunson has also been one of the NBA’s best clutch scorers this season, second to just Trae Young in clutch points this season. In his place, the Knicks will have to rely on the likes of Cameron Payne and Miles McBride, both capable players but a far cry from Brunson’s ability.
The Knicks stop in Sacramento will be their fourth straight in California and they’ve yet to come away with a victory. They’ll be eager to leave the West Coast with at least one win, and they’ll be rested compared to the Kings who played an exhausting game last night. The Kings will once again be without Domantas Sabonis, but Malik Monk may be available, which would be a welcome burst of energy and playmaking for the Kings who have seen their offense bog down at times in the clutch of late without their two best playmakers. DeMar DeRozan has increased his workload in all regards in their absence, averaging 41.6 minutes a game over the last three games. At this stage in his career, I’m not sure how much longer you can continue to ride a 35 year old at that kind of capacity before the wheels come off, and we’re already seeing a dip in efficiency from DeMar as he only shot 43.7% from the field in those games, well down from his season average of 48.5%.
With Brunson out, Karl-Anthony Towns will likely be a focal point for the Knicks offense. Towns has fit in well with the Knicks, averaging 24.2 points and a career-high 13.3 rebounds a game. Towns can score inside and out, and will likely spend a lot of time on the perimeter where he is making 41.9% of his threes. Despite that, and the fact that the Knicks shot lights out against the Kings in their first matchup, New York loves scoring in the paint, ranking 5th in paint points in the league despite playing at one of the slower paces in the league. The Kings also need to be aware of Josh Hart, who always seems to channel Moses Malone against the Kings and get a ton of rebounds. Hart is the best rebounding guard in the league, averaging 9.8 a game this season, including 2.2 on the offensive end. The Kings need to put a body on him and keep him away from the offensive glass if they can because giving an offense as good as New York any second chances is a recipe for disaster.
This is gonna be a tough one, especially on the second night of a back to back, but it’s at home and the Kings really need this one. Hopefully they’re able to shake off the bad taste from last night’s loss and come away with the victory.
Prediction
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Keegan Murray posterizes Karl-Anthony Towns and cracks half a smile.
Kings 123, Knicks 116