Coming into tonight’s game at the Golden 1 Center, the New York Knicks (41-23) had lost three straight. Playing without their injured captain, Jalen Brunson, this wasn’t a must-win against the Sacramento Kings (33-31), but they certainly didn’t want to drop four for the first time this season.
The Kings struck first but stalled, while Deuce McBride’s hot start fueled a big Knicks lead and a 37-point first quarter. Sacramento made a brief push, but Karl-Anthony Towns and New York’s defense snuffed it out, taking a 66-51 halftime lead. The ‘Bockers put on a three-point clinic, and OG Anunoby dominated both ends of the court. In the fourth, the lead hit 35, and the Knicks cruised to an easy 133-104 win.
Quoth allzingers: “Watching OG do anything is such a joyous occasion.” Tonight, we saw the full scope of Anunoby’s skills. He finished with 24 points, a career-high eight assists, seven rebounds, and four steals while shooting 7-of-15 from the field and 3-of-7 from deep. Anytime the Kings made a push, OG was there to shut the door.
All of New York’s starters shined, actually. Towns tallied 26 points and nine rebounds. McBride scored 21 on 7-of-11 shooting with seven dimes. Josh Hart tied his season-high with four threes and racked up 18 points. Mikal Bridges added 15 points and eight assists.
New York’s best three-point shooting game, percentage-wise, came in December against Charlotte, when they hit 18-of-33 (55%). Tonight, they matched that efficiency while making 22-of-40. Their ball movement shredded Sacramento’s soft defense. This sequence summed up the game: three quick passes leading to an open Anunoby corner three.
"Right now the Knicks are so connected on both ends, when you don't have your superstar Jalen Brunson, this is the blueprint on how to play basketball"
–– Jamal Crawford with Knicks up 21 in 3rd pic.twitter.com/VKgpPA7Er6
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) March 11, 2025
First Half
The Kings boast the league’s seventh-best offensive rating but were without Domantas Sabonis tonight. In his place, Jonas Valančiūnas started at center. That’s like running out of steak and serving hot dogs instead. A quality hot dog, sure—but it’s no steak. (Apologies, I don’t have a vegetarian version of this analogy.)
The Kings scored first but fizzled quickly. They went without a field goal for over four minutes, while New York picked apart a defense without its anchor. Shining for New York was Deuce McBride, who struggled on Friday night, missing seven three-point attempts and recording just seven points in 34 minutes. Tonight, he matched that point total in eight minutes and finished the quarter with 15 on 5-of-5 shooting, including three treys. His squad shot 62% from the field to take a 37-22 lead into the second period.
In the second period, the Knicks opened a 20-point gash. New York has had trouble maintaining big leads this season, and it sure looked like they would again. Thanks to inspired play by Malik Monk and DeMar DeRozan, an 8-0 Kings run cut the margin to 12.
Following that lapse, the ‘Bockers regrouped. Karl-Anthony Towns took charge and New York forced turnovers thanks to lively, poking defense. Meanwhile, inconsistent officiating caused both teams to complain; even the normally mild-mannered Mikal Bridges and DeRozan protesting various injustices (the latter acquired a technical foul for his efforts).
The Knicks stayed in control as the half wound down and took a 66-51 lead into intermission. Four of their starters had scored double-digit points, and Anunoby was close with nine. New York had seven steals and outdid the home team for rebounds, assists, fast-break points, and points in the paint. They had shot 8-of-17 from deep, while Sac Town had hit 5-of-15. All told, it was one of their season’s most dominant halves. Let’s see if I just jinxed the second half. . . .
Second Half
To start the third quarter, the home team outscored the visitors 7-2 to cut the margin to 10. The Knicks answered with three consecutive threes (from Towns, Hart, and Anunoby) and more great defense by OG to extend the lead to 19 in a flash. Soon, it was 24. Then 28. New York was on fire from deep.
Around the seven-minute mark, OG turned his left ankle and was slow to regain his feet. He walked it off, though, and a few thousand butt-cheeks unclenched in the Tri-State area. Powered by his defense and scoring, the Knicks logged their second 37-point quarter of the game, and New York rode into the final frame with a 103-77 advantage.
The threes kept falling in the fourth and the lead reached 35. Midway through the fourth quarter, Delon Wright and Landry Shamet checked in and hit back-to-back threes because why should they miss out on the fun? Also making appearances: rookie Tyler Kolek and two brand new Knicks, MarJon Beauchamp and Anton Watson (in his NBA debut).
Up Next
New York flies up the coast to face the upstart Portland Trail Blazers. Safe travels, Knickerbockers.
Box Score