Who is this team, and what have they done with the Sacramento Kings?
It’s been a dull, bleak season for the Kings thus far, but you wouldn’t know it by watching the past three games. On the heels of an impressive back-to-back sweep of the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers, Sacramento pushed its winning streak to a season-long three contests on Wednesday night.
On a night that saw former Kings head coach Mike Brown make his return to Golden 1 Center, the Sacramento offense remained red-hot against a New York Knicks team that entered play with the second-best record in the Eastern Conference.
All five Kings starters scored in double-figures en route to a 112-101 win, one that saw former Knicks forward Precious Achiuwa score a season-high 20 points and DeMar DeRozan score 20-plus points for a fifth-straight game.
While Sacramento (11-30), which has won three consecutive matchups, has dropped to fourth in the NBA Draft Lottery standings, it’s clear that the players on the floor aren’t concerned about draft position.
Some of these current Kings veterans could be on the move in the coming weeks as the February 5th trade deadline approaches, which means they picked a pretty good time to start playing their best basketball of the season.
DEEBO AND-1 💪 pic.twitter.com/b7Kmt4gt0P
— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) January 15, 2026
Sacramento Kings vs. New York Knicks takeaways
It may have been Mike Brown’s return to Sacramento on Wednesday night, but Precious Achiuwa was well on his way to having a revenge game of his own as action got underway.
Achiuwa, who played for the Knicks last season, scored 10 points during the first quarter (the most he has scored in a single period this season), joining DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine in double-figures as the Kings took a 15-point lead into the second.
Sacramento held the New York offense to 17 points during the first quarter–the Knicks’ lowest-scoring opening frame of the season.
A New York offense that entered the night ranked third among all NBA teams in three-point field goal percentage (38.3%) missed its first twelve attempts from long distance before finally converting, but the Kings’ lead was over the 20-point mark by the time the Knicks finally broke through.
Sacramento held New York to one-of-19 (5%) from beyond the arc during the first half, but the Knicks trimmed the deficit to 14 entering the break.
The Knicks’ 42 points were the fewest allowed in a single half by the Kings’ defense this season.
Dyl was tryna send that shot back to Westchester 😭 pic.twitter.com/LmRXm5se0R
— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) January 15, 2026
As was the case during Sacramento’s wins over Houston and the Los Angeles Lakers, the Kings went against the grain of their usual third-quarter routine.
Rather than let a big lead slip away, the Kings put their foot down on the accelerator and pushed their lead into the mid-20s thanks to the inspired play from Achiuwa and a Sacramento offense that went on to score 40 points on four-of-six shooting from deep in the third period.
New York made a run in the fourth, but it was too little too late. The Sacramento Kings would not be denied a third-straight win against a formidable opponent.
The biggest difference in what the Kings displayed through their first 38 games of the season and what we’ve witnessed during the past three–all wins–has been the effort.
Refusing to give up on plays, pushing the pace in transition, taking smarter looks. Those aspects of the game can be small singularly, but they add up. For Sacramento, those elements have resulted in winning efforts.
DeMar DeRozan has been a bucket, scoring 20+ points in five-straight games (his longest such streak of the season). Rookie big man Dylan Cardwell has become a fan favorite due to his physical presence in the paint and showmanship after a blocked shot.
Effort, personality, identity. Those have been evident during this three-game winning streak.
Dylan Cardwell blocked Karl Anthony-Towns and let out a yell.
Next defensive possession, he drew a foul on KAT while fighting on the glass.
Of course, did what’s become his signature celebration hyping up the crowd afterwards. pic.twitter.com/IHdQru9iSz
— Brenden Nunes (@BrendenNunesNBA) January 15, 2026
Defensive effort was a trend on Wednesday, as the Kings held New York — one of the best-shooting teams in the NBA — to an eight-of-41 (19%) showing from downtown in the win.
Sacramento also held the Lakers to eight-of-36 (22%) shooting from beyond the arc on Monday night.
“They’re in a sweet spot in the standard that we expect. The ability to communicate,” head coach Doug Christie said of his team’s defensive effort. “They’ve just done a really good job handling adversity, and that says a lot about them collectively.”
DeRozan and Zach LaVine finished with 20-plus points each against the Knicks, but Achiuwa was the player of the game for Sacramento.
Christie referred to the veteran forward as a “Swiss army knife” due to his ability to defend at a high level. Achiuwa not only scored 20 points but also blocked two shots and swiped two steals in the win to go along with a season-high 14 rebounds.
“He’s playing grown-man basketball,” Christie said of Achiuwa.
It may be only three games, but this is a different Sacramento than we saw in the first 38 games of the year.
Wednesday’s win also marked the mid-point of the regular season, and although the trade deadline is just three weeks away, it will be interesting to see whether this improved play is a brief blip of positivity or a true sign of a turnaround the rest of the way.
“I think right now we have a good flow of things,” Achiuwa said postgame. “We want to try to continue to build on that.”
Welcome Back, Old Friend
Wednesday’s game also included a visit from former Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown, who made his first appearance at Golden 1 Center since being fired in December of last season.
Brown’s firing was the first domino to fall in the dismantling of the inaugural ‘Beam Team,’ with De’Aaron Fox being traded just over a month later to San Antonio after telling the Kings he wouldn’t play for another coach in Sacramento except for Brown.
The unanimous 2022-23 NBA Coach of the Year winner didn’t take long to find a new home, as Brown inked a four-year, $40 million deal during the offseason to become the head coach of a New York Knicks team that was just two wins away from an NBA Finals berth last season.
Brown spoke to local media before Wednesday night’s game, expressing his love for the Kings’ fanbase and the Sacramento community, one he enjoyed living in for three years.
“There were a lot of great memories that we had here,” Brown said before facing his old team. “At the end of the day, I enjoyed my time here, and I enjoyed the people here.”
During pregame introductions, Brown also received a loud ovation from fans in attendance at Golden 1 Center before linking up with Kings owner Vivek Ranadive before opening tip-off:
Mike Brown gets a nice ovation in his return to Sacramento: pic.twitter.com/4LyU6ebdcf
— Frankie Cartoscelli (@FCartoscelli3) January 15, 2026
Vivek Ranadivé greets Mike Brown in his return to G1C 🤝 pic.twitter.com/8eoaqMoAzQ
— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) January 15, 2026
Notes
With his three-point field goal at the 0:49 mark of Q3 vs. NYK, DeMar DeRozan passed Kevin Garnett (26,071) for 22nd on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.
Sacramento Kings Injury Updates
Guard Dennis Schroder missed Wednesday’s game after being suspended by the NBA for a postgame altercation that took place on December 28th with Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic. Schroder served the third of a three-game suspension and will be clear to return on Friday vs. Washington.
Forward Keegan Murray will miss the next 2-3 weeks with a moderate left ankle sprain.
Center Domantas Sabonis, who has been sidelined since November 16th due to a partially torn meniscus in his left knee, will miss at least another 1-2 weeks of action.
When is the next Sacramento Kings game?
Sacramento will continue a season-long seven-game homestand on Friday night when it faces former second-overall pick Marvin Bagley III and the Washington Wizards at Golden 1 Center.
Bagley is averaging 9.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game on 62 percent shooting from the field for the Wizards this season.
Be sure to catch all of the Sacramento Kings vs. Washington Wizards action right here on Sactown Sports 1140 AM, with pregame coverage beginning at 5:30 PM PT on Game Night before a 7:00 pm PT tip-off from downtown Sacramento.
Upcoming Sacramento Kings schedule for the 2025-26 season
Friday, January 16th – vs. Washington Wizards – 7:00 PM PT
Sunday, January 18th – vs. Portland Trail Blazers – 6:00 PM PT
Tuesday, January 20th – vs. Miami Heat – 7:00 PM PT
Wednesday, January 21st – vs. Toronto Raptors – 7:00 PM PT
Friday, January 23rd – @ Cleveland Cavaliers – 4:30 PM PT
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