The Knicks fell to 1-6 on the 2019-20 season after Sunday's 113-92 loss to the Sacramento Kings at Madison Square Garden in New York. >> Box Score
Five things to know from Sunday's game...
1) Knicks head coach David Fizdale went with Bobby Portis over Mitchell Robinson at C and the move backfired. Portis posted two points on 1-of-6 shooting with six rebounds and an assist, and simply did not look like himself off the bench. On the other hand, Robinson gave 10 points and did not miss on four shots, plus two free throws. Robinson, who posted a plus-five result, also grabbed four rebounds.
2) The final stat line for SG RJ Barrett looked decent, but the Knicks rookie struggled. Barrett's up-and-down night featured 22 points on 8-of-20 shooting, going 1 for 5 from three-point range and 5 for 9 from the free-throw line. He snatched five rebounds and dished three assists, but his minus-22 performance told more of the story.
3) In the same breath as Barrett, PF Julius Randle was worse with a minus-27 outing. Randle produced only eight points on 4-of-13 shooting, missing all three triples he attempted, with his seven rebounds and two assists rounding out the numbers. SF Marcus Morris was a bright spot with a game-high 28 points on 9-of-14 shooting, including 4 for 6 on triples, with his six rebounds and two assists, but he nearly fouled out after five personals.
4) The Knicks had no answer on defense as the Kings build a lead that ballooned to 32 points. Four players notched double figures for the Kings, highlighted by the backcourt duo of PG Buddy Hield (22 points) and SG De'Aaron Fox (24 points). The two combined for 46 points, headlined by Fox's team-high 24 points and Hields five triples. Overall, the Kings drilled 15 three-pointers.
5) Did the Knicks roll over against the Kings (2-5)? After the game, Fizdale called the performance "a crap game" and dubbed it "unnacceptable" for the Knicks on the heels of last Friday's 104-102 loss at the Boston Celtics. The Knicks had a chance to build off the near win over the Celtics, but they fell behind early -- down 20 at halftime -- and never recovered.
Highlights
Cool in-bounds plays are cool (via @nyknicks) pic.twitter.com/YT7WfWDZww
- Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) November 3, 2019
RJ with the dish! (via @nyknicks) pic.twitter.com/4NCWABwOY9
- Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) November 4, 2019
What's next
The Knicks start a two-game road trip with Wednesday's 7 p.m. ET tipoff against the Detroit Pistons. They then swing down to Dallas for Friday's 8:30 p.m. ET start at the Mavericks, featuring former Knick Kristaps Porzingis.