Saturday evening, the New York Knicks (39-27) will continue its four-game Western Conference journey with a stop at the Golden 1 Center to face the Kings of Sacramento (38-27).
To kick off this four-game road trip, the Knicks retained the Portland Trail Blazers 105-93 Thursday. Jalen Brunson had 45 points in the win, the sixth time he has eclipsed the 40 mark this season. Meanwhile, the Kings recently defeated the the Los Angeles Lakers 120-107.
For Sac Town, this victory completes their season sweep against LeBron and the LakersIt’s no small feat and big man Domantas Sabonis recorded his 23rd triple-double of the season, this time scoring 17 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists (plus three plays for good measure). The 6’10”, 240 pound player, soon to be 28 years old, is enjoying a career year in Cali. Tonight will be one of those nights where we Really Miss Julius Randle (dislocated shoulder, still). His Sabonis battles are usually epic.
Randle had a double-double of 23 points and 10 rebounds in the last meeting between the Knicks and Kings in March 2023. New York lost 122 to 117. Tonight’s game will be their first meeting of the season, with a second planned for April. .
The Kings have won six of their last 10 outings. Like New York, they are fighting for better playoff positioning in their respective conferences. The Knicks are currently clinging to fourth place half a game away in the East, while Wednesday’s win allowed the Kings to slip to sixth place in the West.
Mike Brown’s Kings are heavy on offense and lighter on the opposite side. They have the 20th defense, but rank 10th in defense. They take a bunch of threes, the fourth most in the NBA, and convert 37% of them (14.4 per game). Their best long-range scorer appears to be Harrison Barnes. The 31-year-old veteran shot 41% from deep this season, a career-high in 12 seasons. Defense remains a lesser concern for Barnes (6’8, 225lb), who also averaged 12.3 points and 2.8 rebounds in 29 minutes per game. He led the Kings with 23 points Wednesday and scored three crucial points in the fourth quarter to thwart the Lakers’ momentum.
Sacramento is also 12th in pace, so watch out for fast breaks. Fastest guy on the team? I have to be the aptly named point guard De’Aaron Fox, who remains a star for Sacramento. He leads the team with career highs of 27 points and 1.9 steals per game. His 4.3 rebounds per game are also a career high. He attempts 7.5 triples and makes 36% of them, which is just below his personal best. Not a bad seventh season for the 6’3″, 185 lb Fox.
During his sophomore year, 6’8”, 215 pound forward Keegan Murray averaged 14.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists. His three-point shooting dropped nearly 6 percent as a sophomore.
Shooting guard Kevin Heurter is questionable for tonight’s game due to a leg issue. Keon Ellis has started six games this season, including the last two in place of Hitter. THE 6’6″ (Or 6’3.5″, depending on your source), Ellis, a sophomore, averaged 10.5 points, three rebounds and three steals in his two recent starts. He shot 39% from deep on limited volume and could burn a sleeping defender at the three-point line.
Watch out for Malik Monk coming off the bench for the Kings. He’s averaged 15.7 points (third best on the team), 5.3 assists and three rebounds in 64 games, is fifth on the team in win shares and has been heavily used of late. Playing around 26 minutes per evening, he pleads for Sixth Man of the Year.
Prediction
ESPN.com favors the Kings in this one by 62%. Yeah. Both teams have been up and down over the last 10 games, with the Kings going 6-4 and the Knicks 5-5. This matchup will be important for both teams as they aim for favorable playoff seeds. They have the Suns on their neck; Magic breathes ours.
The Kings could be without Trey Lyles and Kevin Huerter, which would affect their depth. As for the visitors, OG Anunoby could sit tonight, after his surgically cleaned elbow proved troublesome on Thursday. The Knicks will suffer without him against the Sacramento frontcourt. In a competitive game, the Knicks will keep the pressure on the Kings until the end. A failure ? Very probably. Knicks by -4.
Game Details
WHO: New York Knicks (39-27) to Kings of Sacramento (38-27).
When: 10 p.m. EST, Saturday, March 16, 2024
Where: Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, California
Watch: MSG Network
Follow: @ptknicksblog
