Doug Christie is giddy about breaking the Knicks
The Sacramento Kings stunned the New York Knicks 112-101, pulling off the biggest upset of the season. On the night that should have been a Mike Brown’s Revenge Game, The Kings did the unthinkable. Coach Doug Christie was thrilled with how his the team played in the win over New York in particular Precious Achiuvaaccording to Kings beat writer James Hamm.
“‘Basketball grown man through and through,’ – Doug Christie on Prechus Achiuva’s 20-point, 14-rebound game,” wrote Ham on X.
Achiuva was instrumental in the win over the Knicks, going 7-of-14 while being a force on the boards. It is significant that he was in the starting lineup because Keegan Murray has an ankle injury a couple of weeks ago. But Achiuva did his part to help the Kings win, which has been rare this season as they are just 11-30.
DeMar DeRozan was the leading scorer, scored 27 points on 7-of-16 shooting with six rebounds and five assists. Meanwhile, Zach LaVine added 25 points on 8-of-14 shooting. Russell Westbrook added 20 points on 7-of-14 shooting with 11 assists. Likewise, Malik Monk came off the bench with nine points.
The Kings shot 47.3% from the field, including 37% from three. They also held the Knicks to 39% shooting, including just 19.8% from beyond the arc. Sacramento also shot 84.2% (32 of 38) from the free throw line. Furthermore, they won the board battle 48-45 and had six blocked shots.
This was a significant win for a team that has struggled with numerous injuries and setbacks. In addition to Murray, Domantas Sabonis is out with a torn meniscus and he hasn’t played in over a month. Although the Kings have struggled mightily this season, this was a nice break from that as they played their most complete game of the season.
2026-01-15 15:07:00
