Starting Line-ups
Kings
- Beno Udrih
- Tyreke Evans
- Francisco Garcia
- Jason Thompson
- DeMarcus Cousins
Reserves: Jermaine Taylor, Donté Greene, Samuel Dalembert, Carl Landry, Omri Casspi, Darnell Jackson, Pooh Jeter.
Inactive: Luther Head.
Knicks
- Raymond Felton
- Landry Fields
- Wilson Chandler
- Amar’e Stoudemire
- Ronny Turiaf
Reserves: Bill Walker, Toney Douglas, Shawne Williams, Roger Mason, Timofy Mosgov, Anthony Randolph, Andy Rautins.
Inactive: Danilo Gallinari.
First Quarter Recap
The first quarter got off to a very slow start with both teams struggling to get anything going offensively. The Kings took an early advantage, out-scoring the Knicks 12-5 at the mid-way point of the quarter. Rookie DeMarcus Cousins got off to a quick start, scoring eight on a handful of nice interior moves. The Kings continued to control the tempo and play solid defense, leading them to a 12 point advantage late in the first. After one, the Kings held an 18-13 rebound advantage, out-shot the Knicks 44% to 25% and outscored the home team by nine.
Kings 24 Knicks 15
Leaders
Kings- Cousins (8) Points; Cousins/Thompson (5) Rebounds; Evans (2) Assists.
Knicks- Walker (6) Points; 5 tied (2) Rebounds; Felton (2) Assists.
Second Quarter Recap
The Kings continued to control the paint on defense and the Knicks continued to shoot blanks from the perimeter to start the second. The Kings stretched their lead to 15 at the 6:25 mark of the second and Kings’ color commentator, Jerry Reynolds, captured the moment perfectly when he said, “they are just simply out-hustling, out-working, out-scrapping the New York Knicks.” The Knicks responded, going to the post for a six point run to cut the Kings’ lead to nine. The Knicks continued to fight, going to Amar’e Stoudemire, who answered the call, scoring ten points and grabbing five rebounds in the half. After leading by as many as 15, the Kings took a four point lead into the half due to sloppy ball handling, finishing the first two quarters with a total of 11 turnovers.
Kings 46 Knicks 42
Leaders
Kings- Cousins (10) Points; Cousins (6) Rebounds; 3 tied (2) Assists.
Knicks- Amar’e (10) Points; Amar’e/Fields (5) Rebounds; Felton/Amar’e (3) Assists.
Team Kings Knicks
FG% 41.2% 35.6%
Rebounds 32 24
Assists/TO 10/11 7/9
Third Quarter Recap
After leading for most of the first half, the Kings allowed the Knicks to tie the game at 46-46 in the first minute of the second half. The Kings responded, outscoring the Knicks 23-16 in the third, finishing with an 11 point lead going to the fourth. Guard, Beno Udrih, played extremely well, using a late three pointer to run his game high total to 15 points. Through three, the Kings out-shot the Knicks 41.1% to 31.8%, out-rebounded the Knicks by 11, 46-35, and held all-star Amar’e Stoudemire to 3-14 shooting.
Kings 69 Knicks 58
Leaders
Kings- Udrih (15) Points; Cousins (9) Rebounds; Udrih/Evans (3) Assists.
Knicks- Amar’e (12) Points; Amar’e (9) Rebounds; Amar’e/Felton (4) Assists.
Fourth Quarter Recap
The Kings aggressively attacked the Knicks in the fourth, pushing the lead as high as 15 early in the quarter. The Knicks turned to Stoudemire, who responded with 10 points during a four minute stretch, but Samuel Dalembert stepped up his defense and changed the game. The veteran center had one of his more impressive games, scoring eight points, grabbing eight rebounds and blocking six shots (3 blocks in the fourth quarter). Beno Udrih and Tyreke Evans canned back-to-back three’s, the second coming at the 2:29 mark, to stretch the Kings’ lead to 16 and seal the game. The Knicks scored a couple of late baskets to make the game look respectable, but the Kings won by double digits on the road, ending their 10 game road losing streak.
Kings Win!
Kings 93 Knicks 83
Leaders
Kings- Udrih (29) Points; Cousins (10) Rebounds; Udrih (4) Assists.
Knicks- Amar’e (25) Points; Amar’e (13) Rebounds; Felton (6) Assists.
Team Kings Knicks
FG% 42.4% 31.5%
Rebounds 60 49
Assists/TO 16/22 13/15
Player of the Game: Beno Udrih. The Slovenian-born guard played incredibly efficient basketball, scoring 29 points on 11-14 shooting, 2-2 3-point shooting and 5-6 from the line. Beno also kicked in four assists, five rebounds and a stellar four steals in 40 minutes of play. When the Kings needed him to put the game away, Udrih did just that, scoring 14 points in the quarter on a perfect 6-6 from the field.
The Difference Maker: Samuel Dalembert and the Kings defense. Where did this come from? The Kings blocked 13 shots, nabbed 11 steals and dominated the glass, winning the rebound battle 60-47, including 47 on the defensive end. Why so many rebounds? Because they held the Knicks to 83 points on 31.5% shooting – a far cry from their leading average of 107.8 points per game. Dalembert led the way with six blocks, but DeMarcus Cousins and Francisco Garcia also kicked in three apiece. All of these blocks and steals make it easier to ignore the 22 turnovers the Kings committed.
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