Elfrid Payton and Marcus Morris celebrate in Sacramento
By Brian Abate
NEW YORK- The Knicks came from behind in the fourth quarter to beat the Sacramento Kings Friday night, giving them their second consecutive victory.
The Knicks had lost 10 in a row before they defeated the shorthanded Golden State Warriors Wednesday night, giving interim coach Mike Miller his first victory with them.
The energized Knicks played with intensity on defense despite trailing for the majority of the game against the Kings. The Kings led by 16 in the third quarter but the Knicks went on a run to end the quarter and carried that momentum into the fourth.
“We were in positions to bend a few times but we didn’t break,” Miller said.
The Knicks were led by Julius Randle, who played one of his best games of the season. Randle who has been criticized for sloppy play early in the season had 26 points, nine rebounds, and only committed two turnovers.
"It's a good feeling," Randle said. "We just turned up our intensity and our aggressiveness. The bench did a great job coming in and playing well.”
The Knicks combined for 53 points by players coming off the bench.
Point guard Elfrid Payton, known for his defense, added 16 points in addition to stellar defense off the bench, and helped spark the Knicks comeback.
"We started locking into detail and then we started getting some stops," Payton said. "We all were out there making plays.”
Payton will play an important role for the Knicks going forward as the team is weak at point guard. Frank Ntilikina continues to struggle offensively, and Dennis Smith Jr. has been benched after struggling on both ends of the court.
It’s encouraging to see the Knicks playing hard under miller, and finally getting some wins. They’ll look to keep the momentum going as they finish their road trip with a game in Denver against the Nuggets on Sunday, then return home to play the lowly Hawks on Tuesday.
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