It was far from pretty, but the New York Knicks are back in the win column for the third consecutive game. On Tuesday, they had a bumpy ride against the Sacramento Kings but came out unscathed, pulling away late to win 103-87.
Turnovers were problematic for the Knicks
Facing a 12-35 Kings team that defeated them a few weeks ago, the Knicks needed to come out with energy right away and pummel the Kings for revenge. Unfortunately, it took a while for that to happen as turnovers hurt them all night.
The Knicks recorded a staggering 21 turnovers on the night, making careless decisions with the ball on the offensive front. Those turnovers allowed the Kings to keep the game close, even taking the lead briefly in the third quarter.
OG Anunoby really struggled with taking care of the ball, turning the ball over seven times without recording an assist. He became the first player in the league this season to have a game with at least seven turnovers and no assists.
Jalen Brunson led the way offensively
Jalen Brunson did his usual work on the offensive front, and it was his shot-making down the stretch that propelled them to victory.
He led the team in scoring with 28 points on 9-for-17 shooting from the field and 4-for-8 from three. In the fourth quarter, he turned on the afterburners and shot a perfect 4-for-4 with 11 points to close the game out for New York.
Brunson is putting his leadership on full display as he continues to rally the guys and get them back to their winning ways. If this keeps up, he could get some well-earned MVP consideration.
The Knicks’ defense was excellent
The Knicks struggled on the offensive side, but their defense was superb once again, and truly was the difference maker against Sacramento.
This is the second time in the last three games that New York held their opponents under 90 points, and the third straight that they allowed less than 110 points. The Kings shot just 40% from the field and 16% from three, and it was the Knicks’ swarming defense down the stretch that helped.
Mitchell Robinson was a total force on both ends, finishing as a +25 with seven points, 13 rebounds, and two steals. Head coach Mike Brown stuck with Robinson over Karl-Anthony Towns down the stretch, and the move paid dividends.
Brown closed the game with a lineup of Brunson, Robinson, Anunoby, Mikal Bridges and Miles McBride. That group played excellent defense and shut down the Kings down the stretch, helping the Knicks come out on top.
Overview
The Knicks are back to their winning ways, but they still have quite a lot of stuff to clean up if they want to continue this. They’ll be up for the task on Wednesday as they head to Toronto to take on the Raptors in a matchup of two East heavyweights.