SACRAMENTO -- The Sacramento Kings had plenty of chances Friday night at Golden 1 Center, but they just can’t figure out how to win the close ones. Needing a 3-pointer to tie the game late, DeMarcus Cousins hoisted a half court shot at the buzzer that rimmed out, as Sacramento fell to the New York Knicks by a 103-100.
Carmelo Anthony was incredible for New York, scoring 23 of his 33 points before the intermission. When he gets hot, the 11-time All-Star is tough to stop. Joerger tried plenty of different looks on the 32-year-old forward, but he was relentless.
The Kings had Kristaps Porzingis’ number for most of the night, but the second-year big got loose to start the fourth. The high-scoring 7-footer, scored 17 points on 6-for-19 shooting and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Knicks.
With Derrick Rose out with a knee issue, backup point guard Brandon Jennings pulled the start. Jennings proved worthy of the challenge, finishing the night with 13 points and seven assists.
With scorers all around him, Kyle O’Quinn went did the dirty work, finishing with eight points, 11 rebounds and five assists.
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Cousins continued his early-season dominance. The two-time All-Star came into the night averaging 28.8 points and 10.6 rebounds per night and matched those numbers against New York. Cousins dropped in a team-high 28 points and added 12 rebounds and six assists in the loss.
Darren Collison came up huge in the fourth, dropping in a big 3-ball and finishing at the rim on the break. The veteran point guard finished the game with 14 points and three assists.
Omri Casspi gave Dave Joerger a spark off the bench, hitting the Knicks for 12 points on 4-for-5 shooting and Ben McLemore added 10 points and four rebounds in his second straight game as a starter.
Rudy Gay struggled on the defensive end, allowing Anthony to get hot early. On the offensive end, Gay managed to post 13 points and grab five rebounds.
After playing sparingly over the last few weeks, Anthony Tolliver was the first sub for coach Joerger. The veteran forward gave quality minutes, finishing with 10 points and five rebounds in 26 minutes.
STANDOUT PERFORMER -- Anthony got it going early and often for the Knicks, scoring 15 in the opening quarter on his way to a 33-point night. Sacramento tried different looks all night, but with little success.
TURNING POINT -- Cousins grabbed a rebound with 2.5 seconds remaining and barely missed a 60-footer at the buzzer to tie the game.
INJURY UPDATE -- Matt Barnes sat out the game for what Dave Joerger deemed “scheduled rest.”
WHAT'S NEXT -- One and done. After a five-game road trip, the Sacramento Kings played a single game at Golden 1 Center before heading out on the road again for a back-to-back Saturday night in Utah.
