Given what the 2025-2026 NBA Season has been like for the Sacramento Kings, you could be forgiven for thinking a victory over the Knicks would seem like a long shot. Well, the Kings won and did it impressive fashion. And how they did it was by finally figuring things out as a team.
Three games ago, the Kings were sitting at the bottom of the Western Conference with a record of eight wins and 30 losses. Endless injuries combined with a broken roster made Sacramento a popular target for any team in the league looking for an easy win to boost their numbers.
What a difference a week makes. The Kings have won three in a row for the first time this season by beating the Rockets, the Lakers, and now the Knicks. These aren't exactly scrub teams, either. They are three of the top teams in the league, stacked with superstars and legends.
Defeating the Knicks last night was particularly surprising. New York remains the second best team in the Eastern Conference, four games behind the Pistons. This shouldn't be a team that loses to the Kings, yet here they are with a loss to supposedly one of the worst teams in the entire league.
The Kings took the Knicks to school
For Sacramento, it came down to the veteran starters. DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, Russell Westbrook, and Precious Achiuwa all had great games on both ends of the court. Maxime Raynaud continued his remarkable play while Malik Monk and Dylan Cardwell dominated from the bench.
There have been hints of this group finding a rhythm in the past few weeks, but something always seems to throw them out of synch. Now, they are firing on all pistons. Keep in mind that Domantas Sabonis and Keegan Murray are still out injured, and Schroder remains suspended.
To be fair to the Knicks, they did lose their top player, Jalen Brunson, to an ankle injury five minutes into the game. That definitely slowed them down. At the same time, New York is still loaded with talented, high-caliber players. They had more than enough firepower to win that game.
Simply put, the Kings outplayed the Knicks. If Brunson had been there for New York's fourth quarter run, they might have pulled the comeback off. At the same time, the Kings were operating on a different level, taking advantage of the situation to pull off their third win in a row.