Sacramento Kings drop Carmelo-less New York Knicks 106-105 at the buzzer: NBA Recap
Leading by as much as 27 points at one stage, the Sacramento Kings blew away their advantage and allowed New York Knicks to crawl back into the game. James Johnson who had missed 11 of his previous three pointer attempts this season,
nailed one from downtown at the buzzer to close off the game in dramatic fashion as the Kings dropped the Knicks 106-105 here at the Sleep Train Arena Friday night.
With seconds from buzzer, John Salmons was trapped in the corner and found Johnson open for the three pointer attempt. The ball left his hand a split second from the buzzer much to the delight of Sacramento fans in front of the
home crowd.
“Isaiah (Thomas) hit John, but he couldn't take the shot, he was crowded," explained Johnson, who had a season-high 17 points that included seven in the fourth. "He looked at Francisco (Garcia) as his first option and I was his
second read. There was no thinking after that - I had to shoot it. I knew it was good as soon as it left my hand."
Marcus Thornton led the Kings in the scoring with 18 points; DeMarcus Cousins returned to the lineup after missing two games due to suspension and posted a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds. DeMarcus commented on Johnson
key shot
"We tease him all the time about his shooting, but for him to have the confidence to shoot it and shoot it the right way and make it, that's big for him. Hopefully that game-winner can carry over into other games and his shot can
really get going."
J.R. Smith provided the chuck of scoring for the Knicks in Carmel Anthony’s absence - out with a hyper extended left knee - and finished off with 28 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists. Tyson Chandler had a huge game with 21 points
to go along with his 18 rebounds.
Knicks are known for making their shots from distance but the Kings shot better than New York on the night. Sacramento shot 50 percent from behind the arc compared to 36.7 percent shooting by the Knicks.
First half belonged to the Kings. A 9-2 run early in the first quarter put the Kings up 20-12 and Isaiah Thomas nailed two back to back three pointers to push their lead to 26-14.
Sacramento kept on pulling ahead and despite Jason Kidd two three pointers at the close of the second period, the Kings were leading 71-50 at halftime.
The Knicks started cutting the gap in the third period and Kidd nailed a three pointer in the fourth period to make it a one point game on 90-91. The Knicks were up 105-101, but could not score any more as Johnson sealed a deserving
win for the Kings in the end.
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