The New York Knicks lost to the Sacramento Kings on Sunday night while playing without Carmelo Anthony, who sat out with a migraine. DeMarcus Cousins dominated the Knicks in the 88-80 win, posting a double-double with 24 points and 20 rebounds.
The Knicks have been struggling hard in the second half of the season and the matchup against the Kings was no different. The Kings are allowing the most points per game in the league, but the Knicks could only muster 80 at Madison Square Garden on Sunday night. Anthony being out did not help matters, but even if he played it may not have made a difference because of Cousins.
Robin Lopez had a strong game while battling with Cousins, putting up 23 points and 20 rebounds to try and help the Knicks win. The Knicks have now lost all eight games this season without Anthony in the lineup this season. The team had just come off of a long road trip before playing the Kings, and that was one reason why the Knicks were sluggish on Sunday night.
"We had three quarters of scoring under 20 points that had a lot to do with, to me, guys looked tired," coach Kurt Rambis said. "There are a lot of shots that our guys normally get, normally make, but when their legs are tired, they're just short."
The Knicks had not played at home since March 5. The team shot poorly early in the game while making just five of 22 shots, and it was hard to come back against the Kings after falling behind. The Knicks cut things close before halftime while scoring 35 points in the second quarter, but Sacremento locked things down after that. Cousins continued to dominate the Knicks up front, and Sacremento held the team to just 33 points over the final two quarters.
Anthony sat out with a migraine after starting to deal with symptoms on Saturday night against the Washington Wizards. The forward was able to participate in the team warm-up on Sunday, but still had "more issues dealing with the light." Anthony is averaging 21 points and eight rebounds per game this season for New York. The Knicks next will play the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday and Anthony could be questionable for that game if the migraine issues continue.
"He just wasn't getting any better," said Rambis.
