Knicks rally in 4th quarter comes up short in loss to Kings

SACRAMENTO – Skal Labissiere sank a 3-pointer with 1.6 seconds left and the Sacramento Kings held on to beat the New York Knicks 102-99 on Sunday night after blowing a 19-point lead in the fourth quarter.

New York trailed 92-73 early in the fourth quarter and appeared headed for a lopsided defeat before rallying over the final 9½ minutes to tie it at 97-all on Michael Beasley’s short turnaround jumper with 1:08 left.

Both teams traded empty possessions before Bogdan Bogdanovic made a 20-foot stepback shot to put the Kings up 9997. Following a timeout, Kyle O’quinn was fouled and sank both free throws for another tie.

Labissiere then got the ball outside the arc and threw up a desperation heave with time running out.

The Knicks still had a chance after Sacramento’s Zach Randolph – who did not play – was called for a technical foul from the bench after Labissiere’s shot.

Courtney Lee missed the free throw and Trey Burke’s desperation 3 was also off.

Sacramento had scored only 14 points in the first 11½ minutes of the fourth quarter.

Bogdanovic had 22 points and seven assists, Labissiere had 14 points and six rebounds while three others scored 12 points apiece for the Kings.

It’s Sacramento’s second win in six games since the All-star break and helped the Kings avoid being swept by the Knicks for a second consecutive year.

The victory was also the 199th of Kings coach Dave Joerger’s career.

Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 24 points for New York. Enos Kanter had 14 points and 16 rebounds while O’quinn had 14 points and eight rebounds.

The Knicks have lost four straight and 12 of 13.

TIP-INS

Knicks: New York missed its first nine shots beyond the arc. The Knicks made 10 of 13 free throw attempts in the second quarter after not getting to the line at all in the first. New York lost in Sacramento for the first time since Dec. 10, 2015.

Kings: Sacramento’s first five points came on second-chance opportunities. The Kings had four total against Utah a night earlier. Randolph was held out as part of coach Dave Joerger’s plan to rest his veterans on a rotating basis. Willie Cauley-stein (lower back strain) missed his second consecutive game. Sacramento Kings forward Justin Jackson, right, protects the ball from New York Knicks forward Tim Hardaway Jr. during the first half of Sunday’s game in Sacramento.