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New York Knicks Can’t Get Out Of Their Own Way In Loss vs. Sacramento Kings

By Kenneth Teape

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The New York Knicks were unable to overcome their early struggles against the Sacramento Kings, as their comeback bid fell just short.

The New York Knicks had another tough night against the Sacramento Kings, losing 99-97. Once again the energy level was not there from the start, as the Knicks put themselves in an early hole and were unable to climb all the way out of it. They trailed by as many as 19 in the game, and continually hurt themselves throughout the night as the Kings tried to give the game away.

The biggest problem tonight for the Knicks was with ball security, as they turned the ball over 19 times. Carmelo Anthony had the most turnovers in the game, giving it away five times. The turnovers are what really did the Knicks in tonight, as it allowed the Kings many more possessions than they had and more shot opportunities; the Kings attempted 10 more shots than the Knicks and made nine more. That right there was essentially the game, as the Knicks won virtually every other facet of the game.

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In a surprise feat, they attempted more free throws than the Kings tonight. The free throw line has continually been a problem for the Knicks, not that they can’t make them, but that they do not get there enough. Tonight they attempted 28 compared to 16 for the Kings and making 22 compared to 12. Unfortunately, Anthony missed five of his 11 free throw attempts tonight, which is hard to overcome in a close game like this one ended up being.

Anthony also struggled with his shot, going only 8-of-21 from the field and 1-of-3 from deep en route to 23 points, but he did set the tone for the comeback. He seemed to be the only Knick working in the early part of the game when they fell into the big deficit. He grabbed 14 rebounds and worked hard, as his teammates eventually picked up on the energy level. Disappointingly, it took until they were losing by a large deficit and it was too little too late for the Knicks.

We saw another highlight from rookie Kristaps Porzingis tonight as well. After getting beat by DeMarcus Cousins playing defense, Porzingis got Cousins back when the roles were flipped. Porzingis hit Cousins with a crossover you would normally see from a player a foot shorter than him, hitting the floater for an and-one opportunity.

It was one of the few highlights for the Knicks on the night as they struggled to get much going. Porzingis had his flashes though, scoring 13 points with seven rebounds, two assists, two steals and three blocks. He did have his hands full tonight with Cousins, who was a force for the Kings tonight.

While Porzingis had that highlight, Cousins had one of his own against Porzingis. It could have easily been called an offensive foul, but it wasn’t so it turned into an impressive post move highlight for Cousins.

There was a lot of scoring for Cousins tonight, as the Knicks really had no answer for him inside. He scored a game-high 27 points, making 12-of-25 from the field and 3-of-4 from the foul line. He also added 11 rebounds to go with two assists and two steals.

That paled in comparison to the damage that Rajon Rondo caused, as he turned the clock back to Boston Celtics Rajon Rondo to stick it to his former Atlantic Division foe one more time. Rondo was dominant tonight, scoring an efficient 16 points on 7-of-10 from the field and 1-of-2 from deep. He also added 12 assists to hold onto his NBA high assists per game, and came one rebound short of his fifth triple-double of the season, as he pulled down nine. He als provided a highlight of his own, showing off hops that he has never really shown off before.

It was that kind of night for the Knicks, as every time they got close in the fourth quarter they would either make a mistake to end the momentum or the Kings would come up with a play like the one above to snatch it back. It was another disappointing performance for the Knicks, who have gotten off to disturbingly slow starts in four straight games, all of which were losses.

Next: Who Is The Greatest Point Guard In Knicks History?

The Knicks will attempt to salvage their west coast trip on Saturday night when they pay a visit to Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers. With the loss tonight, the Knicks record drops to 10-14 and 5-7 on the road.

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