The Knicks had one of their worst shooting games of the season and lost to the Sacramento Kings, 112-101, on Wednesday night.
Here are the takeaways…
— New York found themselves down 16-8 early in the first quarter and then things got even worse with Jalen Brunson leaving the game with a right ankle injury. Brunson slipped and fell with 7:45 remaining in the first quarter while trying to cross up Maxime Raynaud. He tried to stay in the game but left for the locker room with 7:01 on the clock and did not return.
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— It didn’t get better for Mike Brown‘s new squad against his former team as NY trailed 32-17 at the end of the first quarter. The Knicks went 0-for-9 from three-point range and shot just 35 percent from the field compared to the Kings’ 63 percent. Former Knick Precious Achiuwa, DeMar DeRozan, and Zach LaVine all scored 10 points in the first. Karl-Anthony Towns tried to carry the load for New York with seven points.
— New York missed their first 12 three-point attempts before Josh Hart hit one to make it a 41-24 game in the second quarter. The Knicks slowly tried to mount a comeback despite their struggles from beyond the arc. Offensive rebounds and second-chance points were a big factor as Mitchell Robinson dominated the glass (11 total offensive rebounds in the first half, Robinson with six).
The Knicks outscored the Kings, 25-24, in the second quarter but trailed 56-42 at halftime. It’s tied for their lowest scoring first half of the season. The team shot an abysmal 1-for-19 from three and 34 percent from the field. Towns was the go-to scorer with Brunson out (13 points on 5-for-11 shooting), but no one else was in double figures.
— Sacramento scored seven quick points to open the third quarter before Mikal Bridges made the Knicks’ second three-pointer of the night (2-for-21 at the time), making it a 63-46 game. The Kings continued to get to the foul line and extend their lead. Hart made the team’s third three-pointer (3-for-25) and then Robinson picked up his seventh offensive rebound, scoring on a tip-in as the Knicks trailed, 79-57, with 4:47 left in the third quarter.
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DeRozan made his first three-pointer in three games with just under a minute remaining in the third quarter as the Kings grew their lead to 23 points. They led 96-76 heading into the fourth as Achiuwa’s revenge game continued, getting up to a season-high 20 points already. New York made a total of four three-pointers (4-for-10) in the third, improving to 17 percent from deep.
— Jordan Clarkson gave the Knicks a spark with six straight points in the fourth quarter and then Bridges sank his second three-pointer to cut the Sacramento lead to 15 points. Brown emptied the bench with 2:34 left, down 108-94. They made it a nine-point game after a Tyler Kolek three and Guerschon Yabusele layup before Russell Westbrook banked in a three to have fans chanting to “light the beam.”
— The Knicks shot 39 percent overall and 20 percent from three, missing 33 attempts (8-for-41). Towns didn’t score in the second half, finishing with 13 points and four rebounds, while Bridges led the team with 19 points. OG Anunoby finished with 15 points, Clarkson had 11 points, and Hart and McBride each had 10 points.
Sacramento made 32 free throws (84 percent from the foul line) and shot 47 percent from the field. The Kings won the rebound battle, 48-43. DeRozan had 27 points and LaVine added 25 points.
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Game MVP: Precious Achiuwa
The former Knick and five-star recruit out of high school had his best game of the season, scoring 20 points on 7-for-14 shooting with 14 rebounds (six offensive), two assists, two blocks, and two steals.
Highlights
What’s next
The Knicks will make a quick trip to the Bay Area to face Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors on Thursday at 10:00 p.m. ET.
