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Royal Pain: Knicks Hang Sans Brunson But Can't Dethrone Kings

The New York Knicks put forth a respectable, nationally televised effort against the Sacramento Kings after Jalen Brunson went down, but it wasn't enough to start a Western Conference tour on the right note.

Geoff Magliocchetti

Losing the game was bad enough for the New York Knicks. Now the question becomes whether the immediate future is likewise destined for defeat.

Jalen Brunson's return to the Knicks lasted only two quarters, as the primary point guard missed the latter 24 minutes when the foot injury that kept him out of the prior two games resurfaced. A Domantas Sabonis triple-double staved off the pesky New Yorkers, who fell by a 122-117 final at Golden 1 Center on Thursday night. 

Having fallen in consecutive games for the first time since the end of January, the Knicks (39-29) kept pace with the current runners-up in the Western Conference thanks primarily to a 23-point, 10-rebound double-double for Julius Randle and strong interior efforts from Josh Hart (15 rebounds) off the bench. RJ Barrett led the Knicks in scoring with 25 points but a 1-of-8 effort from three-point range marred his effort after dark.  

Sabonis, however, helped make sure that the Kings (39-26) kept a long-standing lead that reached 16 at halftime, posting 23 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists. De'Aaron Fox had 22 in his own return after missing Monday's victory over New Orleans while Malik Monk and Trey Lyles united for 35 off the bench while the Knicks reserves, pressed into further service with Brunson's injury, mustered only 22 total. 

New York, denied a replication of last year's sweep of the Kings, hung around as long as they could, even as they fell behind by as much as 21. They even tied the game at 96 in the fourth, where Barrett found his shooting touch to the tune of 11 points on 4-of-7 from the field. A brilliant performance on the boards helped the Knicks linger further, pulling in 23 second chances that yielded 17 points.

But Sabonis' second consecutive triple-double kept New York at bay, as did a slow first quarter, as the Knicks never took the lead back after their early 5-1 advantage was erased by a 17-4 run for Sacramento, which won its sixth over the last seven and kept pace with Memphis, another Thursday victor, for the second seed in the Western Conference.

New York's primary concern now becomes Brunson, who had a team-best 19 points in the first half prior to his medically-induced departure, an apparent re-aggravation of the foot injury he sustained last Friday in South Beach. Immanuel Quickley has serviceably filled in as the primary spell option at the one but there's no doubt that Brunson has served as the team's undoubted jolt that has pushed the team toward dreams of bigger postseason aspirations. As it stands, New York is a game up on Brooklyn for the fifth season in the Eastern Conference and 3.5 ahead of idle Miami to avoid the four-team Play-In Tournament.  

The Knicks, who dropped their first road game since Feb. 10, now face a busy weekend against the Los Angeles couple, beginning on Saturday against the Clippers (4 p.m. ET, MSG). 

Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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Geoff Magliocchetti
GEOFF MAGLIOCCHETTI

Editor-In-Chief at All Knicks

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