The Sacramento Kings return to Golden 1 Center tonight after a 5-game road trip, hosting the New York Knicks on their West Coast swing. The Kings return from traveling with a 2-3 record, winning against the Thunder and the Spurs, while falling to the Nuggets, Pelicans and Mavericks. Meanwhile, the Knicks enter Sacramento on their second night of a back-to-back, handling the Los Angeles Clippers with ease in a blowout on Sunday night.

New York have been a confusing watch since December, boasting last year’s Most Improved Player in Julius Randle, who despite having a career season as the maestro of this squad last year hit a sour note with the city in his low-caliber slump. The Knicks currently sit at 12th in the Eastern Conference, teetering closer to the bottom of the barrel than hopeful for a play-in push. They have a plethora of young talent in Mitchell Robinson, Immanuel Quickley and newly-acquired Cam Reddish, but head coach Tom Thibodeau has steadily fed his cast of veterans minutes over youth.

The Kings boast similarities in terms of playing below their talent level. Both of these teams are more than capable of landing a 10th seed in highly competitive conferences respectively. De’Aaron Fox has hit his stride in the latter half of this regular season, matching a career-high in scoring at 44 points on Saturday afternoon in the loss to Dallas. Despite the size disadvantage between the Knicks and Kings, Sacramento can and should take care of business at home tonight as they look to stay in the play-in conversation for a few weeks more.

How to Watch/Listen: NBC Sports California, Sports 1140 KHTK

Opposing Perspective: Posting and Toasting

SAC injuries/absences: Terence Davis – Out (Wrist), Jeremy Lamb – Questionable (Hip)

NYK injuries/absences: Derrick Rose – Out (Ankle), Nerlens Noel – Out (Foot), Obi Toppin – Out (Hamstring), Taj Gibson – Questionable (Illness)