SACRAMENTO — The Knicks took the floor at Golden 1 Center well-rested and comfortable, as they readied to face the last-place Kings.
And it took just minutes for it to fall apart. A dreadful start in Mike Brown’s return to the place where he was fired just over a year ago was exacerbated by the one thing that the Knicks can not bear — losing Jalen Brunson to an injury. The Knicks lost the game, 112-101, and now face the uncertainty of whether they will be without Brunson with a game less than 24 hours away at Golden State.
Just 4:15 into the game Brunson was dribbling in front of the Knicks bench, attempting to make a move against Maxime Raynaud, and without contact caught the toe of his right foot, twisting his ankle. He went to the floor and lost the ball and Brown attempted to help him to his feet as play went the other way. After trying to remain on the floor for the next two possessions he exited with 7:01 left and went directly to the locker room.
He remained in the back the remainder of the game — in the second quarter his father and Knicks assistant coach Rick Brunson went back to the locker room five times checking on the status of the Knicks star, hopeful that he could find his way back onto the floor.
The injury was to the same ankle that Brunson had injured earlier this season, missing two games, and last March when he was sidelined for a month. When the game was over the Knicks were boarding a bus and making the drive to San Francisco for Thursday’s final game of the four-game West Coast swing.
Even with Brunson the Knicks got off to a miserable start, but without him they fell behind by as many as 20 points in the second quarter, misfiring on their first 11 attempts beyond the arc before Josh Hart finally ended that with a corner three with 8:49 left in the half. But the Knicks followed that by missing all six of their attempts leading up to halftime.
Without Brunson the Knicks needed a team effort and they got it — in the sense that no one stepped forward. The best performance came from a former Knick — Precious Achiuwa, was let loose after season and landed in Sacramento after a stop in Miami and started because of injuries, responding with 20 points and 10 rebounds.
Mikal Bridges was just 1-for-7 in the first half before scoring 15 second-half points. Karl-Anthony Towns shot just 5-for-14, finishing with 13 points. After Brunson’s 2-for-3 start, only Josh Hart (4-for-7 for 10 points) and Mitchell Robinson (3-for-3 with 8 points) shot at least 50% from the floor.
Deuce McBride missed his first nine shots — five from three — before finally connecting on a three on a break with 3:20 left in the third quarter. But by that time the damage was done and his shot only cut the Sacramento lead to 20. McBride finished 4-for-14 (2-for-7 from three).
The game spoiled Brown’s return to Sacramento, where he was fired in December of 2024. Arriving Sunday after the win in Portland, he hit his favorite restaurants and made the most of his stay — until the game began. He got a nice ovation from the crowd, appreciative of what he’d accomplished with the Kings, breaking a 16-year absence from the playoffs in his first season. But that might have been the last moment he enjoyed as the game ended with the fans chanting, “Light the beam.”
“I’m human just like everybody else and when you think about it, it feels a little funky,,” Brown said before the game. “But at the end of the day, they wanna beat us, and we wanna be them, and so at the end of the day we’re gonna try to do what we can to get a win just like they are too, and that’s what it’s all about. … Time here was great. People here were special. I enjoyed it but I wanna get out of here with a win.”
Notes & quotes: Mitchell Robinson has yet to play in back-to-back games, but was on the floor against the Kings. Brown said he was unsure if he’d be available Thursday against Golden State. “At the end of the day it’s going to be the medical team’s choice,” Brown said. “As we’ve gone along, his minutes have increased and he’s been able to do more things in practice in terms of their eyes. So whatever they tell us tomorrow, we’ll listen to.”
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Steve Popper
Knicks/NBA writer
Newsday
Twitter: @stevepopper
cell: 908-616-3631
Email: steve.popper@newsday.com
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.