New York Knicks Jalen Brunson (right) takes a jump shot against the Sacramento Kings Malik Monk (left) in the second half at Madison Square Garden in New York on Sat Jan 25, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The Sacramento Kings (22-23) hung in their game against the New York Knicks (30-16) in the first half but fell apart in the fourth quarter losing 143-120. Sacramento went on a 23-6 run in the second quarter to get close but they just could not get on top of the Knicks who are third in the Eastern Conference. Malik Monk had the high for the Kings with 31 points and Domantas Sabonis had a triple double with 25 points 13 rebounds and 12 assists. De’Aaron Fox finished with 14 points but was hampered by a right hand thumb sprain which really messed with his shot.

Game recap: The Kings had the lead in the early minutes of the first quarter 13-12 at 7:44. This is when the Knicks got going after a slow start peeling off six points in a row. Sacramento trailed by single digits through most of the opening quarter but came apart at the three minute mark. New York began to hit shot after shot and led 38-25 after the first 12 minutes.

Sacramento continued to trail in the second quarter, their largest deficit 19 points. In the closing minutes of the half the Kings went on a run after trailing by as much as 18 points throughout the second quarter getting within five points with 1:49 left in the second quarter. Sacramento continued to play hard offensively going on a 23-6 run and at the half the Kings trailed by the score of 72-67. Everything was going the Kings way down the stretch in the second quarter.

Sacramento’s Malik Monk sparked the Kings offense in the second quarter and finished the half with 23 points. Domantas Sabonis was well on his way to another double double with 16 points and eight rebounds. Fox struggled offensively scoring five points and one rebound trying to work around his thumb injury. He was two of 10 in the first half shooting poorly hampered by his injury.

The Knicks Og Anunoby had the high for his team with 20 points followed by Jalen Brunson with 12 points and Karl Anthony Towns with ten points and nine rebounds. Both teams were hot at the line, the Kings shooting 100% from the free throw line and the Knicks with 90%. Turnovers were minimal for both teams.

Sacramento would be looking to take the energy they finished the half with into the third quarter. They would need as much as possible from their bench and solid offense from DeMar DeRozan, Murray and Fox who had been quiet. The way they finished the first half is exactly the way they would need to start the third quarter and finish the game.

The Knicks were unable to extend their lead in the early minutes of the third quarter. The Kings continued to nip at the heels of New York trailing by seven points at 8:46 76-83. The Knicks threatened to build their lead taking a ten-point lead 76-86 but the Kings battled back to a single digit deficit 86-80.

With 6:02 left in the third quarter the Kings trailed by two points 88-90. As the quarter began to wind down, New York began to extend their lead 102-94 as the Knicks refused to give up the lead. The Kings got close but could not get over the top. As the quarter came to an end, the Knicks had established a 111-100 lead.

A number of minutes expired at the start of the fourth quarter as both nets were examined confirming that they were both level. Players had complained that the baskets were not level. So after a ten-minute delay play got back underway.

The layoff did not hamper the Knicks at all as they pushed their lead out to 116-102. With 6:18 left in the game and trailing 131-110, the Kings had to make a move or risk losing a second game in a row which has not been done since interim Head Coach Doug Christie took over.

This was the largest Knicks lead of the game. While the Kings only had ten turnovers in the game, most of them came in the fourth quarter when they fell apart offensively. The final was 143-120.

Malik Monk had the high for the Kings with 31 points and every starter for Sacramento had double figures. Domantas Sabonis had a triple double with 25 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists.

Fox put out a valiant effort finishing with 14 points but it was obvious that his thumb injury really hurt his shooting. This was the first time the team had lost two games in a row since Doug Christie had taken over as Head Coach.

The Knicks had the game high with Og Anunoby turning in 33 points and every New York player finished with double digits. Josh Hart had a triple double with 20 points, 18 rebounds and 11 assists.

Game notes: After losing to the Denver Nuggets Wednesday night 132-123, the Sacramento Kings traveled to New York for a matchup with the Eastern Conference Knicks. The Knicks are currently in third place in the standings a couple of games behind the second place Celtics.

After the Kings loss to the Nuggets, they dropped into ninth place in the Western Conference. Besides wanting to get back on track after the loss, the Kings do not want to lose any more ground in the standings.

Sacramento has been struggling with slow starts and a slew of open missed shots. De’Aaron Fox is currently struggling with a thumb injury, a right thumb sprain but is slated to start in this game. He will wear a sleeve on his thumb which will not do a lot for his shot.

This was be another tough matchup for Sacramento after a rough game against Denver where they trailed by as much as 25 points in the game. The Kings needed to tighten up their defense which was a quite a problem in their last game.

The Knicks lead the league in points so Sacramento needed a solid defensive effort and fell short. New York came into this game after having had a number of days off and they were well rested. The Kings are currently on a six-game road trip.

The Kings continue on their six-game road trip traveling to Brooklyn for a date with the Nets Monday night. Tipoff for that game is scheduled for 4:30 PM as Sacramento will be looking to get back on the winning track and break their two-game losing streak.