OG Anunoby scored a team-high 33 points, helping lead the New York Knicks to 143-120 win over the visiting Sacramento Kings on Saturday.
Mikal Bridges added 27 points, Jalen Brunson had 25 points and 11 assists, while Josh Hart collected 20 points, 18 rebounds and 11 assists as the Knicks won their third straight game. Karl-Anthony Towns had 18 points and 15 boards for New York, which made 17 of its 36 (47.2 percent) 3-point attempts.
Malik Monk led the Kings with 31 points. Domantas Sabonis chipped in 25 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists, while DeMar DeRozan scored 18 as Sacramento dropped its second in a row. De’Aaron Fox added 14 points and Keegan Murray had 12 in the loss.
Leading 72-67 at halftime, New York doubled its advantage as Bridges’ triple gave the Knicks an 86-76 lead at the 8:47 mark of the third quarter. Sacramento answered with a 12-4 run, stamped with Murray’s dunk and Sabonis’ layup that trimmed the Kings’ deficit to two.
Later in the third, Sabonis’ layup pulled the Kings within three before Brunson’s five straight points began a 14-6 New York run to end the quarter, giving the Knicks a 111-100 advantage entering the fourth.
Bridges scored the first five points of the fourth quarter for the Knicks, who outscored the Kings 32-20 over the final quarter en route to the easy win.
With just over five minutes left in the first quarter, Monk’s pullup jumper trimmed the Kings’ deficit to 21-17 before Precious Achiuwa’s floater and Landry Shamet’s 3-pointer began a 10-0 Knicks run.
Anunoby finished the first quarter and then began the second quarter with dunks, giving the Knicks a 40-25 advantage. Fox then connected on a triple before Anunoby’s three-point play pushed New York’s advantage back to 15.
The Knicks’ lead grew to 17 on Towns’ layup at the 7:26 mark of the second quarter, but Monk scored on back-to-back Sacramento possessions, cutting the Kings’ deficit to 55-42.
After New York extended its lead to 19, the Kings finished the half on a 23-9 run, including Monk’s 12 points over the final 5:01, helping trim New York’s halftime lead to 72-67. Anunoby had 20 points in the first half for New York, while Monk led all scorers with 23.
