Knicks at Kings
THE STORY: New York completes its three-game West Coast road swing in Sacramento on New Year’s Eve. The Knicks are 0-2 on the left side of the country, most recently losing to the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday. New York was ice cold against the Lakers, shooting just 31 percent and going only 6 for 22 from beyond the arc. Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire combined for 42 of the Knicks’ 82 points but received little help outside of center Tyson Chandler, who chipped in with 10 points. Sacramento had a tough time containing reigning NBA MVP Derrick Rose in a 108-98 loss to the Chicago Bulls Thursday. The Kings played the Bulls tough, winning the rebounding and turnover battles, but struggled at the free-throw line – going 20 for 34 from the charity stripe. Sacramento pulled to within one point but its inexperience got the best of it, allowing Chicago to go on a game-clinching run.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, MSG, Comcast Sports Sacramento
ABOUT THE KNICKS (1-2): New York is fading down the stretch, getting outscored 47-24 in the fourth quarter of its last two games. The Knicks were a combined 8 for 33 from the field in the final frame against the Warriors and Lakers. Against Los Angeles, they were outscored 19-10 and shot 3 for 14 in the fourth quarter.
ABOUT THE KINGS (1-2): The Kings get solid production from their starting five, but don’t have much depth coming off the bench. Much-hyped rookie guard Jimmer Fredette could be the solution to that problem. He scored 14 points versus the Bulls and netted 10 points off the pine in a loss to Portland on Tuesday.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. Stoudemire is day-to-day after spraining his ankle in the loss to the Lakers. The Knicks are already thin due to injuries to guard Iman Shumpert and forward Jared Jeffries.
2. After three games, the Kings rank No. 1 in the NBA in defending the 3-pointer. Sacramento is allowing opponents to shoot just 21.7 percent from beyond the arc. New York was second in 3-point attempts last season, shooting 25.4 per game in 2010-11.
3. Sacramento is 7-3 in its last 10 games versus New York, going back to 2007. The Kings won the last meeting 93-83 at Madison Square Garden on Jan. 14, 2011.