The Sacramento Kings and New York Knicks will face off in a non-conference game, a rare opportunity to see these teams battle outside of their respective conferences. The Kings, currently sitting at 10-30 and 14th in the Western Conference, will look to improve their record against the Knicks, who are 25-14 and second in the Eastern Conference. The game is set to take place in Sacramento, California, on Wednesday at 10 p.m. EST.
The Kings have struggled at home, with a 7-13 record, and are giving up 121.2 points per game, outscoring their opponents by just 11.0 points per game. On the other hand, the Knicks have a strong road record of 9-10 and rank second in the Eastern Conference for shooting 38.3% from 3-point range. However, the Knicks allow 14.6 3-pointers per game, which is 4.1 more than the Kings average.
The Knicks have a higher field goal shooting percentage of 47.3%, which is 2.2 percentage points lower than the Kings' allowed percentage of 49.5%.
Key players to watch include Russell Westbrook for the Kings, who is averaging 14.7 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 6.9 assists, and DeMar DeRozan, who has been on fire with 18.7 points, 4.6 assists, and 1.6 steals over the past 10 games. For the Knicks, Karl-Anthony Towns is a force to be reckoned with, averaging 21.2 points and 11.4 rebounds, while Jalen Brunson has been on a tear with 28.4 points and 3.2 rebounds, shooting 47.7% over the past 10 games.
In their last 10 games, the Kings have struggled, going 3-7, while the Knicks have maintained a 5-5 record. The Kings are averaging 104.6 points, 39.1 rebounds, 23.4 assists, 7.8 steals, and 4.7 blocks per game, while their opponents are averaging 117.4 points. The Knicks, on the other hand, are averaging 117.7 points, 44.9 rebounds, 27.2 assists, 7.6 steals, and 3.9 blocks per game, with their opponents averaging 120.7 points.
Injury concerns for the Kings include Keegan Murray (ankle) and Domantas Sabonis (knee), while the Knicks have Landry Shamet (shoulder) and Guerschon Yabusele (quad) listed as day-to-day.
This game promises to be an intriguing match-up, with both teams having their strengths and weaknesses. It will be interesting to see how the players perform and whether the Kings can overcome their home struggles to secure a win against the Knicks.
