FILE –Immanuel Quickley #5 of the New York Knicks dribbles during the second half against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Madison Square Garden on February 21, 2021 in New York City. Sarah Stier/Getty Images/AFP
Rookie Immanuel Quickley scored 25 points and Alec Burks added 24 off the bench, propelling the host New York Knicks to a 140-121 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Thursday.
New York’s Julius Randle collected 21 points and 14 rebounds and Derrick Rose made 7 of 11 shots from the floor to finish with 18 points. Rose was inserted into the starting lineup in place of Elfrid Payton, who sat out for the first time this season with an ailing hamstring.
Immanuel Quickley (25 PTS) and D-Rose (18 PTS, 6 AST) propel the @nyknicks past Sacramento! #NewYorkForever pic.twitter.com/vn9qMQbJvE
— NBA (@NBA) February 26, 2021
Burks made five 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to help New York set a season-high point total. The Knicks’ previous best offensive performance came in a 130-110 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Dec. 27.
RJ Barrett had 12 points and Reggie Bullock added 10 for the Knicks, who shot a blistering 65.9 percent (29 of 44) from the floor and 52.9 percent (9 of 17) from beyond the arc to secure a 77-62 lead at halftime.
New York cooled down considerably in the third quarter before Burks found his range in the fourth. He drained a 3-pointer on three consecutive possessions to push the Knicks’ lead to 121-101 with 7:16 to play.
New York never looked back en route to recording its fifth win in seven games and avenging a 103-94 setback to Sacramento on Jan. 22.
De’Aaron Fox had 29 points and 11 assists and Harrison Barnes added 22 points for the reeling Kings, who extended their season-high losing streak to nine games.
Fox drained a 3-pointer to trim New York’s lead to 48-45 early in the second quarter. Undaunted, the Knicks kept their foot on the gas and scored 29 points over the final eight minutes, highlighted by Bullock sinking a pair of 3-pointers late in the session.
Rose and Barrett each converted from beyond the arc and Randle added a mid-range jumper to push New York’s lead to 90-72 midway into the third quarter.
Sacramento, however, exploited the interior to trim the Knicks’ advantage down to five toward the end of the third.