Jalen Brunson had a strong game with 35 points and 11 assists, while Josh Hart scored a season-high 31 points as the New York Knicks made an impressive comeback from a 21-point deficit to defeat the Sacramento Kings 120-109 on Thursday night, ending a three-game losing streak.
Shortly after announcing that Julius Randle would undergo right shoulder surgery and be out for the remainder of the season, the Knicks displayed their resilience. Despite missing Randle, Hart, who was dealing with a sprained right wrist, had an outstanding performance, shooting 14 for 19 and contributing nine rebounds and eight assists. Additionally, Donte DiVincenzo added 21 points to the Knicks’ victory.
“For us as a team, we started very slow and eventually got it picked up,” Brunson said. “And the morale was a little low, when one of your guys goes down, and he’s fighting to come back and just unable to be where he wants to be.”
The Knicks are now tied with Orlando for the fourth-best record in the Eastern Conference at 45-31.
Although the Magic have the head-to-head tiebreaker, the Knicks remain in contention for home-court advantage in a first-round series if they finish with the same record.
De’Aaron Fox led the Kings with 29 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists. However, despite his efforts, the Kings missed an opportunity to join New Orleans and Phoenix for sixth place in the Western Conference standings. Keegan Murray contributed 18 points, while Domantas Sabonis finished with 17 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists for the Kings.
The Knicks faced a tough start to the day with the news of Randle’s surgery. However, they rallied after a slow start to the game, as the Kings surged to a 46-25 lead in the first 15 minutes, shooting an impressive 19 of 28 from the field (68%). The Knicks responded with a 16-2 run to narrow the gap and eventually took control in the fourth quarter.
“Guys played very, very unselfishly, just made the right play,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “It was a big hole to climb out of, but we found a way to win.”
Sacramento briefly regained the lead in the fourth quarter, but a 13-0 run by the Knicks, including key plays by Brunson and Hart, secured the victory. Despite Sacramento’s strong start from beyond the arc, Kings coach Mike Brown noted that his players began hesitating on open shots, leading to errors that allowed the Knicks to gain momentum.
