NBA: Knicks fall to Kings, lose Jalen Brunson to ankle injury

DeMar DeRozan scored 27 points and Zach LaVine added 25 as the Sacramento Kings secured their season-best third consecutive victory, defeating the visiting New York Knicks 112-101 on Wednesday night.

Precious Achiuwa contributed 20 points and a season-high 14 rebounds, while Russell Westbrook added 19 points and 11 assists. Maxime Raynaud chipped in 10 points for Sacramento.

For the Knicks, Mikal Bridges scored 19 points and OG Anunoby added 15. Karl-Anthony Towns had 13 points but shot just 6-of-20, and reserve Jordan Clarkson contributed 11 points. New York star guard Jalen Brunson exited early with a right ankle injury, ending his streak of 18 straight 20-point games after scoring four points in the first minutes of the contest.

The game also marked Knicks coach Mike Brown’s first return to Sacramento since being fired as Kings coach in December 2024.

With his performance, DeRozan reached 26,077 career points, moving into 22nd place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, passing Kevin Garnett (26,071).

Sacramento shot 47.3% from the field, including 10-of-27 from three-point range. The Kings were without Dennis Schroder, who missed the game due to the final contest of a three-game suspension. New York managed 39% shooting and just 8-of-41 from beyond the arc. Josh Hart and reserve Miles “Deuce” McBride scored 10 points each, while backup Mitchell Robison collected 11 rebounds.

The Kings started strong, making 12 of their first 19 field-goal attempts to build a 32-17 lead after the first quarter. Sacramento extended the lead to 20 early in the second half on a basket by Malik Monk and took a 56-42 lead into halftime. DeRozan scored 15 first-half points, while Towns had 13 for New York. The Knicks struggled from deep, making only 1 of 19 three-point attempts in the first half.

Sacramento opened the third quarter with a 7-0 run, capped by a three-pointer from Achiuwa, giving them a 21-point advantage. LaVine later sank two free throws to extend the lead to 77-52 with 5:52 remaining in the third quarter.

The Kings led 96-76 entering the fourth quarter before the Knicks narrowed the margin. This marked just the second time Sacramento defeated New York in their last 10 meetings.

—Field Level Media/Reuters