NBA: Knicks pull away from Kings in 4th quarter for 3rd straight win

Karl-Anthony Towns hit a tiebreaking 3-pointer in the opening seconds of the fourth quarter Tuesday night, sparking the New York Knicks to a 103-87 victory over the Sacramento Kings. From that moment on, the Knicks never trailed, outscoring Sacramento 31-15 in the final quarter to secure their third straight win — their longest streak since a three-game run from Dec. 25-29.

Towns finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds, marking his 30th double-double of the season. Jalen Brunson added 28 points, scoring 11 in the final 3:48, while Mikal Bridges (18 points) and OG Anunoby (15 points) also reached double figures. Mitchell Robinson contributed 13 rebounds off the bench.

For the Kings, DeMar DeRozan led all scorers with 34 points as Sacramento dropped its sixth straight game following a season-high four-game winning streak. Domantas Sabonis recorded 11 points, 12 rebounds, and seven assists, while Russell Westbrook added 14 points. Reserve Dylan Cardwell chipped in 10 rebounds.

The Knicks built an early lead, ending the first quarter 36-26. Sacramento briefly took its only lead of the second quarter at 51-50 after DeRozan scored seven unanswered points, but Towns’ layup with 14 seconds left put New York back on top at halftime.

The third quarter featured four lead changes and two ties. The game was knotted at 72-72 after Nique Clifford’s layup with 36.8 seconds remaining. On New York’s first possession of the fourth, Landry Shamet forced a turnover by DeRozan, setting up Towns’ go-ahead 3-pointer.

The Knicks continued to pull away, with Bridges’ alley-oop layup and another 3-pointer by Towns extending the lead to 80-74 with 8:31 left. New York maintained at least a four-point advantage for the remainder of the game, reaching double digits for good on Brunson’s long jumper with 3:08 remaining.

With the win, the Knicks improve to a three-game winning streak, while the Kings continue to struggle, dropping their sixth consecutive game.

—Field Level Media/Reuters