Two weeks after Sacramento defeated New York in Northern California, the rematch between the Knicks and Kings arrives at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night. New York has steadied the ship with back-to-back wins, including a 54-point dismantling of Brooklyn and a road triumph in Philadelphia. Sacramento has gone through a five-game slide, and injuries to core pieces have strained an already thin rotation. Here, I take a closer look at this inter-conference matchup in the NBA and give you my Kings vs Knicks prediction on the court.
Our Kings vs Knicks Pick
Pick:
Confidence: 4/5
Game Snapshot
- Matchup: Sacramento Kings @ New York Knicks
- Date & Time: January 27, 7:30 PM ET
- Venue: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
- Broadcast: NBA League Pass
Key Storylines
- Some key players are on the injury report for the Kings going into this game. Keegan Murray is listed as out, while Malik Monk and Zach LaVine are listed as questionable. Their availability will determine whether or not the Kings can reliably compete in this matchup.
- The Knicks don’t have any names on their injury report going into this game. That is a rarity for them, as they have had some players on the injury report at times throughout the season. But Jalen Brunson, Mitchell Robinson, and their key role players ar eall available at this time.
- New York’s interior edge: Towns and Mitchell Robinson headline a team averaging 46.3 rebounds per game. Sacramento sits near the bottom of the league in boards, but some of that has to do with the fact that Domantas Sabonis out for much of the season. Sabonis is back and that could help the Kings compete with the Knicks on the glass.
- Recent form: The Knicks have won 2 straight, including a 120-66 statement over Brooklyn. The Kings have lost 5 straight with defensive ratings near the bottom of the league during that run.
- First meeting: Sacramento won 112-101 on January 14 behind DeMar DeRozan’s 27 and strong nights from Precious Achiuwa and Russell Westbrook, while Brunson exited early after injuring his ankle.
Head-to-Head & Betting Trends
- The Kings beat the Knicks in the first matchup between these teams this season.
- Sacramento is 18-29 against the spread going into this matchup.
- New York is 23-23 against the spread so far this season.
- The Knicks have gone over the total in 24 of their 46 games.
- The under is 24-23 in games involving the Kings this year.


