By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings were back in action on Thursday night in Sacramento. The Kings last played on Monday night when the New Orleans Pelicans came to town. It was an important game for the Kings, who took care of business and beat the Pelicans 123-108. On Tuesday, the New York Knicks traveled to Sacramento to take on the Kings at 7 PM PST. In addition, the game was broadcast on TNT for the whole nation to watch. On Thursday, the Kings beat the Knicks 122-117.

In the first quarter, the Kings came out of the gate strong. The Kings played solid defense in the first as the Knicks were struggling to find the bottom of the net. The Kings scored 30 points in the first quarter to jump out to a quick seven-point lead. The Knicks scored 23 points in the first quarter. Domantas Sabonis started the game hot, getting whatever shot he wanted in the first quarter with 11 points.

In the second quarter, the Kings went on a run. The Kings put up a massive second quarter scoring 39 points. On the other hand, the Knicks didn’t have an awful quarter, as they scored 30 points. However, the power of the Kings offense was too much to handle as they went into halftime with a 69-53 lead over the Knicks. If the Knicks wanted to keep the game within reach, they would need to slow down the Kings offense in the second half.

In the third quarter, the Kings took their foot off the gas. They allowed the Knicks to get right back into the ballgame. The Kings were outscored by the Knicks 31-22 in the quarter as the offense went silent for the Kings. The Knicks did well with a sustained offensive attack in the quarter to close the deficit.

The Kings would go into the fourth quarter with a 91-84 lead over the Knicks. However, the Knicks had all the momentum over the Kings. Another important note was De’Aaron Fox had four fouls, and Sabonis had three going into the final quarter.

In the fourth quarter, it was a typical fourth quarter this year in Sacramento. The fans were absolutely insane, and the game came down to the wire. The Kings were outscored by the Knicks 33-31 in the final quarter. However, it wasn’t enough to overcome the lead the Kings had built during the game. The Kings won the game 122-117 against the New York Knicks.

It was a wild game at Golden One Center, with every fan on their feet in the last minutes. Fox took over the game in the fourth to lead the Kings to victory. The Kings were led in scoring by Sabonis, who had 24 points. In defeat, the Knicks were led by R.J. Barrett, who had 25 points in the game.

Up Next: The Kings stay home to take on the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday at 7 PM PST.