There’s no doubt the Kings have disappointed coming out of the All-Star break. With their first real playoff hunt in over a decade, the Kings have stumbled down the stretch, going 1-5 in their last 6 games. Sure, four of those games came against some of the top teams in the league, but even still, this team is past moral victories and needs actual Ws if they’re hoping to play in the postseason.

Tonight’s game against the Knicks is an opportunity to get back on the right track. With just 20 games remaining, the Kings need every win they can get, and the schedule is now starting to ease up. The Knicks have been the NBA’s proverbial punching bag this season, and got handled by the Clippers last night. The Kings can’t take anyone lightly though and need to take care of business.

When: Monday, March 3rd, 7:00 PM PST

Where: Golden 1 Center, Sacramento CA

TV: NBCSCA

Radio: KHTK Sports 1140 AM

For Your Consideration

The Knicks are on pace for perhaps their worst season ever. They traded their presumed franchise cornerstone in Kristaps Porzingis in a surprise deal last month to acquire picks, space and Dennis Smith Jr. But this is still a team that’s all in on the future, whether it be Zion Williamson, Kevin Durant, or both.

The Knicks do not do much well. They’re the worst shooting team in the league, they don’t rebound well and they’re among the worst defensive teams to boot. They do have some nice young pieces, and Mitchell Robinson in particular has been a nice find, providing athleticism and elite rim protection.

The Kings have been unusually good at beating teams below them this year. That’s a good first step on the way back to relevancy and a big reason why the team is still at .500 this far into the season. Tonight can be no different, and we’ll need the Kings to come out and get off to a good start, something that has not been the case recently. While Sacramento’s defense has been improved since the Harrison Barnes trade, the offense has struggled. Sacramento has not been hitting their shots at nearly the same rate as before the break, especially behind the arc. This is a good game for the Kings to maybe get a confidence boost as they prepare for the stretch run.

This is not a game in which you can play down to your opponents. This is not a game that the team can afford to take lightly. In order to keep the dream of the postseason alive, every game matters from here on out.

Safety Note

In light of the news on Saturday that no charges would be filed in the Stephon Clark case, the Kings and Golden 1 Center have issued a statement on enhanced security at the game tonight.

Kings announce enhanced security measures for tonight:

DOCO plaza will be closing in the early afternoon and accessible only to ticketed guests.

Fans encouraged to arrive early to expedite entry through security.

(I assume this will continue throughout the week) https://t.co/ZXhSRANRlo

— Sactown Royalty (@sactownroyalty) March 4, 2019

Prediction

The Kings come out angry after dropping Friday’s game against the Clippers and win by their second largest margin of the season. Dennis Smith Jr. makes SportsCenter with a cool dunk and that’s all that gets shown of the game on ESPN.

Kings 133, Knicks 109