The Sacramento Kings, led by their young talent, defeated the New York Knicks in dramatic fashion by a score of 102-99.
The Sacramento Kings were able to defeat the New York Knicks by a score of 102-99. With this victory, the Kings now stand at a record of 20-44 for the season which has them ranked twelfth in the Western Conference.
With that being said, let us take a look at what happened during tonight’s contest and what this performance means for the Kings going forth.
Game Summary
After struggling to score points yesterday, the Kings’ offense was solid to start tonight’s contest. The powder blue and red took a 32-20 lead to end the first quarter. The team collectively shot 44% from the floor and 43% from beyond the perimeter. Sacramento’s second unit was a huge part of the team’s success as they outscored the Knicks’ bench 12-0 for the period.
The Kings’ offense stalled once the second quarter started as they only scored 19 points and shot 39% from the floor. If it was not for the play of Bogdan Bogdanovic, who scored 15 points in the half, it would have been a lot worse for Sacramento. Meanwhile, the Knicks started to find their scoring behind the efforts of Tim Hardaway and Enes Kantar who both scored 12 points in the half. Even though the Kings were still on top going into halftime, they only led by a score of 51-46.
Whether the Kings woke up or the Knicks started to tank, everything was going right for the powder blue and red during the third period. Behind the play of their young guys, the Kings were able to score 32 points for the quarter as they ended the period with an 83-72 advantage.
The fourth started with Sacramento pushing on the accelerator as they led as much as 19 points in the quarter. But the Kings’ offense sizzled out and the Knicks started a scoring run themselves to remain competitive in the game.
The Knicks were able to tie the contest with under a minute left, but Bogdanovic’s shot with under 30 seconds remaining put the Kings back on top. Kyle O’Quinn then made two free-throws to tie the game up again for New York, but with the last seconds ticking down, Skal Labissiere hit a three-point shot to clinch the win for the Kings.
Final Thoughts
This win may not fare well for Sacramento in terms of what pick they get in this year’s draft, but it is encouraging to see the team get a win led by their youth. For the game, the best performers for Sacramento were Bogdan Bogdanovic who recorded 22 points and seven assists, Justin Jackson who scored 12 points, and Skal Labissiere who recorded 14 points and six rebounds.
Another game, another outing where the Kings’ wave of young talent shows positive signs of their development. If this pattern continues, the Kings may actually be good in this lifetime.
The next time the Kings will take the court will be Wednesday night when they play against the New Orleans Pelicans.