Kings at Knicks
All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins will likely miss his third straight contest when the Sacramento Kings visit the New York Knicks on Tuesday. Cousins is plagued by ankle and hip injuries and the Kings typically struggle without him as they have a 2-12 record when he has been sidelined this season. The Knicks have shown some recent life by posting back-to-back victories, including a sharp 103-98 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Saturday.
The opener of Sacramento’s eight-game road trip marks their sixth contest under coach George Karl and the Kings have gone 2-3 over the previous five. Knicks center Andrea Bargnani has stepped up his play and averaged 22 points in the back-to-back victories and guard Tim Hardaway Jr. also played well by averaging 20. “I think this group really is embracing this opportunity to try and kind of build some cohesion and connection as a group despite the win-loss record,” New York coach Derek Fisher told reporters.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, CSN California (Sacramento), MSG (New York)
ABOUT THE KINGS (20-37): Small forward Rudy Gay is the focal point of the offensive with Cousins out and he has averaged 22.2 points since Karl became coach. Gay had 24 points in Sunday’s loss to the Portland Trail Blazers to notch his 34th 20-point outing of the campaign. Forward Derrick Williams had 18 points against Portland after receiving just eight minutes of playing time two nights earlier against San Antonio, prompting Karl to tell reporters, “Derrick’s one of our more skilled players and I’m trying to figure out how he fits in with the team.”
ABOUT THE KNICKS (12-46): Guard Langston Galloway scored in single digits after posting four straight double-digit efforts and still managed to be one of the team’s most pivotal players in Saturday’s win. The undrafted free agent had just six points and half of them came when he sealed the contest with a 3-pointer with 13 seconds left as the Knicks posted a 103-98 win over the Toronto Raptors. “Having that in his DNA, and kind of in his wiring, the way he sees himself,” Fisher told reporters. “That’s why we were attracted to him and why we wanted him to be part of our group.”
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Sacramento posted a 135-129 overtime win over the Knicks on Dec. 27.
2. New York PG Jose Calderon (Achilles’ tendon) will miss his third straight game.
3. Kings PG Darren Collison is slated to undergo surgery for a core muscle injury on Tuesday.