Game Preview: New York Knicks at Sacramento Kings, March 16, 2024

On Saturday night, the New York Knicks (39-27) will continue their four-game Western Conference swing with a stop at the Golden 1 Center to battle the Sacramento Kings (38-27).

To kick off this four-game road trip, the Knicks held off the Portland Trail Blazers 105-93 on Thursday. Jalen Brunson shouldered 45 points in the win, the sixth time he’s eclipsed the 40 mark this season. Meanwhile, the Kings most recently defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 120-107.

For the Sac Town, the win completed their season sweep of LeBron and the Lakers—no small feat—and big man Domantas Sabonis logged his 23rd triple-double of the season, this time scoring 17 points, 19 rebounds, and 10 assists (plus three stocks for good measure). The 6’10”, 240lb soon-to-be 28-year-old is enjoying a career year in Cali. Tonight will be one of those nights when we really miss Julius Randle (dislocated shoulder, still). His Sabonis battles are usually epic.

Randle threw down a 23-point and 10-rebound double-double when the Knicks and Kings last met in March 2023. New York lost, 122 to 117. Tonight’s game will be their first meeting of the season, with a second scheduled in April.

The Kings have won six of their last 10 outings. They, like New York, are vying for better playoff positioning in their respective conferences. The Knicks currently cling to fourth place by a half-game in the East, while Wednesday’s win allowed the Kings to slide into sixth place in the West.

Mike Brown’s Kings go heavy on the offense and lighter on the opposite end. They have the 20th-ranked defense, but rate 10th for defense. They take a boatload of threes, fourth-most in the NBA, and convert 37% of them (14.4 per game). Their best long-range scorer seems to be Harrison Barnes. The 31-year-old vet has shot 41% from deep this season, a career-best in a 12-season career. Defense remains a lesser concern for Barnes (6’8, 225lb), who has also averaged 12.3 points and 2.8 boards in 29 minutes per game. He led the Kings with 23 points on Wednesday and hit crucial three-pointers 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? Gotta be the aptly named point guard De’Aaron Fox, who remains a standout for Sacramento. He leads the team with career-highs of 27 points and 1.9 steals per game. His 4.3 rebounds per contest is also a career-best. He attempts 7.5 triples and makes 36% of them, which is just shy of a personal best. Not a bad seventh season for the 6’3”, 185 lb Fox.

In his second year, the 6’8”, 215lb forward Keegan Murray has averaged 14.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.6 assists. His three-point shooting has dropped by almost 6% as a sophomore.

Shooting guard Kevin Heurter is questionable for tonight’s game with a leg issue. Keon Ellis has started six games this season, including the last two in place of Heurter. The 6’6” (or 6’3.5”, depending on your source) sophomore Ellis has averaged 10.5 points, three rebounds, and three steals in his two recent starts. He’s shot 39% from deep on limited volume and could burn a sleepy defender at the three-point line.

Beware of Malik Monk coming off the bench for the Kings. He has averaged 15.7 points (third-best on the team), 5.3 assists, and three rebounds in 64 games, is fifth on the team for win shares, and has seen heavy usage of late. Playing about 26 minutes per night, he’s making his case for Sixth Man of the Year.

Prediction

ESPN.com favors the Kings in this one by 62%. Yeouch. Both teams have had their ups and downs in the last 10 games, with the Kings going 6-4 and the Knicks 5-5. This game will be important for both teams as they angle for favorable playoff seeds. They’ve got the Suns breathing down their necks; the Magic are breathing down ours.

The Kings could be without Trey Lyles and Kevin Huerter, which would affect their depth. As for the visitors, OG Anunoby might sit tonight, after his surgically cleaned-up elbow proved troublesome on Thursday. The Knicks will suffer without him against Sacramento’s frontcourt. In a competitive game, the Knicks will keep the pressure on the Kings down the stretch. Fall just short? Very possibly. Knicks by -4.

Game Details

Who: New York Knicks (39-27) at Sacramento Kings (38-27).

When: 10:00 pm EST, Saturday, March 16, 2024

Where: Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, CA

Watch: MSG Network

Follow: @ptknicksblog