Knicks vs Kings Game Preview

Can the home dominant Knicks take advantage of a sputtering Kings squad?

 

The Knicks enter Sunday afternoons game as the winner of 7 of their last 10 contests, counting themselves in the upper echelon of home record teams with an emphatic 8-3 record at MSG.

The Kings have gotten off to an uneven start this season which has become all but habitual for them in recent years. Despite the transcendent talent of DeMarcus Cousins, the ever shuffling cast of characters Kings ownership have put around him have still never landed a playoff berth in his entire tenure in the league. This stakes are even higher this year with DeMarcus getting closer to free agency in 2018, and if the Kings stumble early Sacramento might have to finally bite the bullet and trade their only honest to goodness star.

The Knicks expected starting 5 will be Joakim Noah, Kristaps, Melo, Justin Holiday, and Derek Rose. Joakim Noah is listed as available after his most recent ankle injury and Courtney Lee remains out after suffering the same injury after a good start against the Timberwolves on Friday. The Knicks have been rolling on offense without Noah in the starting lineup, and his defensive execution just hasn’t been there consistently yet to start the season. This will be the perfect test of Noah’s value. If Noah can outhustle Cousins, frustrate him, and generally shut him down – the Knicks win this game.

But coming off an injury and uneven play, the Knicks will require their backup bigs to contain Cousins if Noah proves ineffective. Sacramento will be playing through Boogie as much as possible and the key to controlling the game will be some combination of Kyle O’Quinn and Plumlee keeping him from getting the ball in good positions.

Not unlike the Knicks of yesteryear, the Kings this year have been getting out to abysmal starts, which forces them to play catch up the rest of the way. It’s disheartening to lose that way over and over, as every Knicks fan can attest to, and it also gets to you mentally. If the Knicks come with a haymaker early on Sunday, the Kings have not proven to be a very mentally durable team. Push the right buttons, make the right plays, and the Knicks could wrap this one up early. If not, expect a very tough, bruising game dominated by Cousins and just the right amount of Rudy Gay hero-ball.

Prediction: Knicks win 109-104

 

3 Things to keep an eye on

 

• The ongoing evolution of the NBA big man. While players like Kristaps and Karl Anthony-Towns represent the future of the big man in the NBA, the tides of change are strong enough that even previously old school ground and pound bigs like Cousins are acting accordingly. Cousins lead his team in 3 point attempts, makes, and % for players with at least 20 attempts. That’s nuts.

 

• The rebounding situation. The Knicks have been a so-so rebounding team with occasional moments of brilliance this year, but they have struggled against teams with strong front lines like Oklahoma City. Porzingis is the long term solution at the 5, but the Knicks team rebounding suffers significantly when he spots minutes there. Even last year his better rebounding performances came as a result of the excellent boxing out of Robin Lopez, a skill that no current Knick duplicates quite as well. The Kings are going to try and muscle the Knicks early and often, effort is going to count for a lot here

 

• The Kings, though inconsistent, are capable of trotting out lineups with long and strong defenders at every position. Garret Temple has been solid this year, Cauley-Stein is athletic and moves well, and Matt Barnes is long and a general pest to play against. If the Knicks are without Lee, Rose and Holiday are going to have their hands full.