The boys in orange and blue quickly jumped on the sleepy Sacramento Kings, playing at 9 AM Pacific Time en route to an early 15-point lead. That lead would be gone by the second quarter, of course, as these were still the Knicks. The Kings looked to run away things, building their own lead to 12 at the end of the third quarter, but the Knicks clawed back into the game in the fourth featuring the frontcourt of Mitchell Robinson and Luke Kornet.
Then, with three minutes remaining, head coach David Fizdale decided it was “winning time,” and reinserted starters Lance Thomas and DeAndre Jordan.