Kings 88, Knicks 80
NEW YORK -- In a matchup of two teams out of the playoff picture and facing looming offseason questions, the Sacramento Kings rode a 24-point, 20-rebound night by DeMarcus Cousins to an 88-80 win over the depleted New York Knicks for a rare road victory Sunday.
Cousins, the NBA's fourth-leading scorer, scored seven fourth-quarter points to help put the game away. Rudy Gay added 17 points, forward Omri Casspi returned after missing a game with a sore left ankle to chip in 15 points off the bench, and guard Darren Collison contributed 13 points, six assists and three steals for Sacramento (27-42).
Kings point guard Rajon Rondo, a potential free agent target for the Knicks this summer, had a subdued night at Madison Square Garden with six assists and six rebounds to go with just two points.
Center Robin Lopez had one of his best games of the season for the Knicks, who were without leading scorer Carmelo Anthony due to lingering effects of a migraine. Lopez finished with 23 points and 20 rebounds, rookie Kristaps Porzingis added 13 points and seven rebounds, and Jerian Grant and Derrick Williams combined for 25 off the bench for New York (28-43).
The Knicks dropped to 0-8 this season when Anthony was out of the lineup. They lost their third straight overall.
The Kings, who never trailed in the game, extended a four-point lead at the end of the third quarter to an eight-point advantage to start the fourth, and the NBA's worst defensive team never let the Knicks get closer than five points the rest of the way.
Sacramento swept the two-game season series against the Knicks for the first time since 2009-10, registering just its 13th road win of the season while snapping a two-game losing streak.
Playing without Anthony, the Knicks' offense sputtered out of the gate and shot 35 percent from the field overall. New York didn't crack double digits until there was 1:37 left in the first quarter, and it shot 5-for-22 (23 percent) from the field in the opening period as Sacramento built a 28-12 lead.
The Kings, who entered the game allowing an NBA-worst 109.6 points per game, tied their season low for points allowed in a quarter. It marked just the second time in the past 12 games that the Kings led after the opening period.
The Knicks woke up in the second quarter, sparked by eight points off the bench from Grant, who had a team-high 10 at the half. A 14-5 run by New York to end the half trimmed Sacramento's lead to 50-47 at the break. Collison gave the Kings a lift with a game-high 13 points in the half to keep the visitors in front.
NOTES: New York F Carmelo Anthony (team-leading 21.8 points per game) was a game-time scratch due to lingering migraine-like symptoms suffered during Saturday's loss to the Wizards. ... The Knicks activated second-year F Cleanthony Early for the first time since Early was shot in the right kneecap during a robbery outside of a New York City nightclub on Dec. 30. ... Kings rookie C Willie Cauley-Stein missed his second straight game with flu-like symptoms. ... PG Rajon Rondo, who is averaging a career-high 11.9 assists per game for Sacramento, was in his second game back after missing a game with turf toe, a right thumb sprain and a right shoulder contusion.