SACRAMENTO, Calif. — For all of the longtime Knicks fans who long for the days of the defensive street fights that the Knicks of the 1990s used to have, this one was for you.
On a night when only Jalen Brunson could provide any offense, a stifling, roughneck style of play prevailed as the Knicks escaped the Golden 1 Center with a 98-91 win over the Kings.
Brunson, who scored 45 points against Portland on Thursday, had 42 against the Kings. He joined Bernard King, Patrick Ewing and Carmelo Anthony as the only players in franchise history to score at least 40 points in consecutive games.
“It means a lot,’’ Brunson said. “I said this on the air: I don’t have the resume those guys do. So it means a lot, but I’m just happy we won the game.”
Said Josh Hart, “He goes out there, controls the game. He’s our go-to guy. Great that he was able to kinda get into that company. That’s elite company. Maybe he’ll pass a little bit more next game. But it was good. It was good. Good he’s in that company.”
The Knicks (40-27) moved within two games of the third-place Cavaliers and three games of the second-place Bucks in the Eastern Conference.
When it mattered most in the final minute, the Knicks forced a double-dribble on Domantas Sabonis and three missed shots. The Kings were held to 17 points in the fourth quarter and went scoreless in the final 2:31.
With the score 94-91, in a comical sequence, Brunson drove for a floater past a completely immobile Keon Ellis, who had turned his head and didn’t react at all until Brunson was several steps past him. Brunson then hit two free throws with 15.6 seconds left.
On the blow-by, Ellis fell for Brunson’s fake hand movement — he appeared to be asking for a screen to be set on Ellis’ right side even though there was no Knick in the vicinity — and when Ellis stared toward his right, Brunson dribbled hard past Ellis’ left side, leaving him in his wake and looking silly.
From OG Anunoby’s…
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