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If you can’t beat the road-weary, rotten Kings at home without their top player, who can you beat?
The Knicks enjoyed a rare giddy evening Monday at the Garden in a 116-96 laugher.
They routed Sacramento by sharing the ball, dominating the boards and swishing 3-pointers in a scare-free night to move to 24-27 and snap a three-game slide.
The maligned Julius Randle looked decisive and confident, scoring 17 points with nine rebounds and four assists. Evan Fournier exploded in the first quarter for 16 of his 18 points. Alec Burks came off the bench and flourished with 21. And Mitchell Robinson was all over the glass, finishing with nine points and 13 rebounds.
The only drama occurred in the fourth quarter. Would Tom Thibodeau put in recent addition Cam Reddish as the Garden crowd chanted his name repeatedly: “We want Red-dish.’’
He did, as the former Dukie hopped off the bench with 5:25 left to roars with the Knicks up 25. He finished with four points, all on free throws.
The Kings were without their star point guard De’Aaron Fox (sore ankle) and playing the final game of a five-game, 11-day road trip. And they have a 18-34 record.
The Knicks had to get this one with a murderous six-game gauntlet ahead, starting at home versus Memphis before a hellish five-game western road trip.
The Knicks, who outrebounded the Kings 55-41, stepped on Sacramento in the first quarter. It was one of Fournier’s finest hours as a Knick as his teammates repeatedly found him open at the 3-point line off kickouts and he delivered with perfect strikes.
The Frenchman made 6 of his 7 field goals in the first quarter — 4 of 5 from 3-point land — for 16 points as the Knick led 31-23.
The Knicks ambushed the Kings further in the second period with their second unit to go up by 17.
Burks hit Obi Toppin for an alley-oop dunk. After Quentin Grimes stole the ball, Toppin sprinted with it downcourt, fed it back to Burks, who drilled a 3-pointer to put the Knicks up 45-29.
The Knicks were up 54-41 at halftime despite their hottest player, RJ Barrett, shooting 1 of 9 and starting point guard Kemba Walker going scoreless.
The Knicks controlled the glass and didn’t allow the Kings an offensive rebound in the first two quarters.
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