We’re finally in the stretch run, with just 7 games left and every game mattering more than ever in the tight Western Conference playoff race. But to win in the West, the Kings are first going to have to succeed in the East one final time as they start their final road trip of the season tonight with a trip to New York City.
Let’s talk Kings basketball!
When: Thursday, April 4th, 4:30 PM PT
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
TV: TNT
Radio: Sactown Sports 1140
Last Time
In what barely qualified as an NBA game, the Knicks beat the Kings 98-91 back in mid-March in Sacramento. Jalen Brunson was seemingly the only person in the game who could shoot and finished with a game-high 42 points. The Kings shot just 35.3% from the field and were led in scoring by Domantas Sabonis’ 21 points.
Three in the Key
Let’s get Physical
The Knicks might be the most physical team in the entire NBA right now, and the last matchup between these two teams was particularly physical as neither team broke 100 points. Both teams are dealing with injuries right now, with the Knicks missing both Julius Randle and OG Anunoby, and Josh Hart and Mitchell Robinson are both questionable, while the Kings are without Kevin Huerter and sparkplug Malik Monk. The Kings have been playing pretty well defensively themselves of late, especially since Keon Ellis has joined the starting lineup. Since March 1st, the Knicks are 2nd in defensive rating, but the Kings have been 6th. This is set up to be a physical, low-scoring game once again and whoever gets comfortable offensively first likely will come out on top.
Stop Brunson
Jalen Brunson has been on an absolute tear this season and won Eastern Conference Player of the Month for March after averaging 28.8 points on 48.1% from the field and 37.6% from three in only 30.9 minutes a game. His game against Sacramento saw him score 42 points, and just last week he dropped a career-high 61 points against the San Antonio Spurs. Brunson is the engine that makes the Knicks go, and the Kings will need to find a way to slow him down. Keon Ellis probably wants some revenge himself after Brunson caught him flat-footed at the end of their last matchup.
Play with Urgency
Sacramento’s final seven games are brutal and this road trip might be the toughest part of it. There’s no more room for error for the Kings and how they play over these final seven games will determine whether or not they make the playoffs outright or have to play elimination games against tough competition to get in. Right now the Kings sit in 8th, but are just one game back of 5th. They’re also only one game ahead of the Lakers in 9th (effectively two games though since Kings hold the tie-breaker). The Kings may not be favored in any of the four games on this road trip aside from Sunday’s game against Brooklyn. Starting this trip with a loss would be tough, especially with perhaps the league’s toughest back to back possible against the NBA’s best Boston Celtics. A 2-2 road trip would probably be considered a success, but let’s start off on the right foot and get the win tonight.
Prediction
The Kings actually manage to top 100 as De’Aaron Fox does to New York what Brunson did in Sacramento and the Kings come away victorious.
Kings 109, Knicks 98
Fan Predictions
Link to Leaderboard (Updated 2/21/24)
This road trip could be a real killer;
In New York we may see a thriller.
Let’s see Keon press on,
And use Brunson’s lesson
While we make all other Knicks filler!
+1 Make Mr.Thibs feel the Heat of the Night!
Looks like me when Fox is pushed to the floor and Domas is hammered in the head and no foul is called.
I am hoping Trey provides some muscle, and maybe players will hit a few open shots tonight. Looking for a big game from you tonight, Keegan.
Thibs facial expressions are the best!
I hope the Kings give it back as much as they take
OT: Over at Bleacher Report they’re projecting the Kings will grab the #6 slot in the West—
“West Quarterfinals: (3) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. (6) Sacramento Kings”
Nothing would make me happier about the end of this season if the Kings can somehow get the #6 spot. I honestly wouldn’t be that upset if they still lost in the first round, but getting a guaranteed spot in the playoffs could be HUGE for this team going into summer.
Apparently they did not look at the remaining schedule. That is very optimistic, although I would love this to be the end result!
Gotta keep the momentum of this final push going. If the Kings lose today I’m not feeling good about the rest of the road trip, but hoping they prove me wrong. Knicks have lost three straight so maybe we’re catching them at an okay time.
Agreed they have to get this one. Tomorrow is the most scheduled schedule loss of all time then they get the Nets. They’ve also got the New Orleans Phoenix back to back coming up. I’d go all out in this one then punt tomorrow’s game completely. Use it as r and r for the rest of the stretch run.
Yep. As Rob mentioned in yesterday’s thread, Boston has just three losses at home with a really deep bench. It may be better to just rest the guys if the game is out of hand early and make sure to get the win in Brooklyn.
Yeah I think given our brutal closing schedule that makes the most sense.
Brunson made Keon look silly in the previous game.
I hope he can respond strongly and keep him somewhat in check.
That was great, I hate that it happened but that was amazing. Pretending to wave some help up then skip to the hoop when attention is elsewhere.
I hope lesson was learned.
OT: Looks like the A’s are gonna be at Sutter Health Park for the 2025-27 seasons.
This sucks so hard for Oakland.
Buuuuuuuuuut…
I will be going to quite a few MLB games in 2025, 2026 and 2027.
Bold prediction: The most underutilized game feature will be the gold beam that will be lit after each A’s win.
I’m having a real hard time with this. I really hate this for Oakland and want no part in any sports relocation saga. I also just don’t see how they are going to make the necessary modifications to the ballpark to satisfy MLB.
The only difference here is this is a shitty owner moving the team and not shitty owners selling to outside interests…but still.
Deep down inside I’m hoping for a short stay here in Sac then somehow they magically get things done in the Bay and the A’s can return home.
Yeah, my reconciliation with it is that the A’s aren’t leaving Oakland to take up permanent residence here, and no one is going to the games in Oakland right now anyway. So for me, this would be akin to the Kings being relocated to Seattle but using (say) Portland as a weigh station for a couple of years. I’d really have no heartburn with Portland.
In the end, my hope is that the Vegas deal falls apart and the A’s wind up staying in Oakland, but that is the longest of longshots at this point.
Capitalism has its features and benefits, but the supply / demand of professional sports and what cities have to do to obtain / retain them is really greasy.
Bring back the original colors!
Absolutely!
Though I am an unabashed Giants fan, my single favorite piece of memorabilia has an A’s background.
Back in 1968, we went to A’s photo day, where the players would walk around the field and let you come down and snap pictures. My dad got a picture of Joe DiMaggio, who was an A’s coach at the time.
In 1984, a year after my dad passed away, my mom was having lunch with a friend at Nut Tree in Vacaville, and DiMaggio was having lunch there as well. My mom got his autograph and brought it home to me. I framed the photo that my dad took and inserted the autograph that my mom got me. It is my most treasured memorial of them.
And 1 – I will never forgive myself for losing the Kelly Green, full size Bert Campaneris bat that I scored on bat day.
I said original colors, from their 55 years in Philadelphia.
Just watched the back and forth with Vivek from a well-known Bay Area
televison sports journalistfanboy.Vivek wants this to end with an MLB team for sure.
No doubt. And an expansion team would be awesome. A relocating team far less so.
Spent the last 6 years living in Oakland and just moved back to Sacramento recently. It’s been tough seeing the city lose team after team within such a short span and I had really hoped the A’s and the city could figure something out.
It’s a damn shame to be honest, especially with everything going on in Oakland these days. Fell in love with the community over there despite the shortcomings and wanted them to have a Sacramento-esque rally to keep their team. We’ll see how everything shakes up in the end but it just seems that Vegas doesn’t really want the team…at least not that much from what I’ve read.
hope the A’s get a new park in Oakland. Maybe an expansion team?
but watching major league stars at the triple A park in Sacramento might be one of the coolest things to do soon …
Take any MLB ballpark and reduce it to the best 10 thousand seats (14k if you include the lawn seating). That’s Sutter Health Park. It will be amazing.
Yeah, I’ve never understood why ballparks are so big. 40,000 people to watch a game with a ball the size of an apple? Pass. I do enjoy a smaller environment for baseball.
And they used to make them for 60-70k people. Nuts.
Mount Davis messed up the atmosphere at the Coliseum for the A’s. Was only worth it during the Rich Gannon years.
Definitely an MMA fight. Fox needs to show up and show out. Brunson got the best of him the last matchup. Brunson has good numbers this year, but from my perspective, he just isn’t that good to me.
Stats to the side. Put a player out there whose only goal is to shut him down, will shut him down.
92 Olympics. Jordan and Pippen made it their business to shut Kukoc down. We need that energy tonight.
The key to this game is contain Brunson. They aren’t going to completely stop him, but they cannot let him get another 40+ points. If they can keep him under 30 then they have a much better chance.
Donte DiVincenzo revenge game? Dude’s been on a tear lately and his 3 point shooting has been outstanding (he seems the East Coast equivalent of Grayson Allen).
Minus the unsettling resemblance to Ted Cruz.
He’s had several chances at a revenge game now. I think it would have happened already if it were going to. That is including the playoffs last year.
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