The Knicks host the Kings at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday, January 27, 2026, at 7:30 PM ET.
The Knicks come in at 27-18 (4th in the East), while the Kings are sitting at 12-35 (14th in the West).
The Knicks just beat the 76ers 112-109 on January 24, and the Kings are coming off a 139-116 loss to the Pistons on January 25.
This is the second meeting of the season, and the Kings already took Game 1, 112-101.
For the Knicks, it starts with Jalen Brunson putting up 28.0 points and 6.1 assists on 47.7% from the field and 38.4% from three, plus Karl-Anthony Towns at 20.5 points and 11.4 rebounds.
For the Kings, Zach LaVine is at 19.5 points on 48.6% shooting and 39.9% from three, and DeMar DeRozan is adding 18.8 points on 50.6% from the field.
This one matters because the Kings are bleeding on the road, and the Knicks have a real chance to stack wins and keep pressure on the top of the East.
Injury Report
Knicks
No injuries reported.
Kings
Zach LaVine: Questionable (lower back soreness)
Malik Monk: Questionable (right ankle soreness)
Keegan Murray: Out (left ankle sprain)
Why The Knicks Have The Advantage
The math is loud here. The Knicks score 117.8 points per game and allow 113.7, while the Kings are at 111.0 scored and a brutal 121.2 allowed. That is a massive gap in two-way quality before we even get into matchups.
The spacing also leans Knicks. They’re hitting 37.6% from three as a team, and the Kings are at 35.3%. That difference matters because the Knicks already have the better shot creators, so cleaner catch-and-shoot looks become backbreaking fast.
On the glass and in the possession game, it’s more of the same. The Knicks rebound at 46.3 per game to the Kings’ 40.8, and they take better care of the ball too, 13.6 turnovers per game versus 14.4 for the Kings. Extra possessions plus a big defensive edge is how you turn a decent matchup into a double-digit night.
And then there’s the simple situational stuff: the Knicks are 17-6 at home, the Kings are 3-19 on the road, and the recent form is pointing opposite directions (Knicks W2, Kings L5).
Why The Kings Have The Advantage
The Kings have already shown they can win this matchup, taking the first meeting 112-101. That matters because it tells you their shot diet and shot creation can hold up against the Knicks’ size.
They also have a real perimeter shot-making ceiling if the questionable guys go. LaVine’s 39.9% from three is legit juice, Monk is at 42.7% from deep, and DeRozan gives them a steady late-clock bailout option. If those three are live, the Kings can manufacture offense even when the Knicks force them off Plan A.
And the Knicks do have a soft spot the Kings can poke: point-of-attack defense. If the Kings can drag Towns into repeated actions and keep Brunson involved, they can force rotations and hunt corner threes. That’s basically their only path here, turn it into a shot-making contest and hope the Knicks get sloppy.
X-Factors
OG Anunoby is the swing piece for the Knicks because he changes what the Kings are allowed to run. He’s at 15.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.7 steals this season, and when he’s aggressive on offense, it stops the Kings from loading up on Brunson.
Josh Hart is the chaos factor. He’s posting 11.9 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 5.2 assists, and his rebounding from the wing is the kind of thing that quietly breaks teams like this, especially a Kings team that’s already light on team rebounding. If Hart turns missed shots into extra possessions, the Kings are cooked.
Miles McBride matters because the Knicks’ best version is when they can apply ball pressure without sacrificing shooting. He’s at 13.0 points per game and hitting 42.6% from three, and if he wins his minutes, the Knicks can keep the gas down even when Brunson sits.
For the Kings, Malik Monk is the obvious one. He’s at 12.5 points on 42.7% from three, and if he plays, he’s the guy who can flip a quarter with two tough pull-up threes and suddenly you’re sweating. If he’s limited, the Kings lose a huge chunk of their instant offense.
Maxime Raynaud is sneaky important because the Kings need someone to survive the minutes where the Knicks go big. He’s at 9.5 points and 6.4 rebounds on 53.4% shooting, and if he can keep the Kings from getting demolished on the glass, it at least keeps the game from turning into a layup line plus putbacks.
Keegan Murray being out is the last dagger. He’s been a 14.6-point, 6.1-rebound guy for them, and losing that size and defense means more pressure on DeRozan and LaVine to score efficiently, and more stress on their wing rotations against the Knicks’ physicality.
Prediction
I’m taking the Knicks, and I don’t think it needs to be dramatic. The Kings’ defense is a mess, their road form is ugly, and if either LaVine or Monk is compromised, their offense is going to have long dead stretches where Brunson just picks them apart on the other end.
Prediction: Knicks 121, Kings 109
