Jalen Brunson scored 28 points as the New York Knicks took control in the fourth quarter and pulled away for a 103-87 win over the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night, extending their winning streak to three games.
Mikal Bridges added 18 points, while Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds for New York. After the game was tied at 72 entering the final quarter, the Knicks dominated down the stretch, outscoring Sacramento 31-15.
DeMar DeRozan led all scorers with 34 points for the Kings, who dropped their sixth straight game. Russell Westbrook chipped in 14 points, but Sacramento struggled mightily from long range, shooting just 5 for 30 from 3-point distance. DeRozan and Westbrook combined to go 3 for 16 from beyond the arc.
The win marked Mike Brown’s first victory as Knicks head coach against the franchise that fired him last season, two years after he was named NBA Coach of the Year for leading Sacramento to the 2023 playoffs.
Towns jump-started the decisive fourth-quarter run by hitting a 3-pointer to open the period, then knocking down another during an 8-2 spurt that gave New York an 80-74 lead. After DeRozan briefly pulled Sacramento within 90-85, Brunson took over, burying a 3-pointer, scoring on back-to-back possessions and setting up OG Anunoby’s dunk to push the margin to 99-85. Brunson later added a free throw following a technical foul and capped a 13-0 run with another 3 to put the game out of reach.
Anunoby scored 15 points for the Knicks, who overcame 21 turnovers to secure the win.
Up next:
Kings: Visit Philadelphia on Thursday.
Knicks: Visit Toronto on Wednesday.
