The New York Knicks suffered a 112-101 loss to the Kings on Wednesday night that was much worse than the final score indicates. Fan-favorite Josh Hart kept it real after the game, summing up how most fans likely feel after the 2-5 start to 2026. He told reporters in Sacramento that the loss was "embarassing," even going as far as to take blame for New York's lack of competitive edge in a game they started with a 17-point first quarter.
Hart says Knicks' dud in Sacramento "started with him"
The 30-year-old do-it-all guard played 32 minutes on Wednesday, contributing 10 points, five rebounds, and five assists. He's had success with his 3-point shot in the two games since his return from a sprained ankle, making five of his nine total attempts over the small sample size. That included going 2-of-4 in Sacramento.
When it came to the Knicks' effort, though, Hart told reporters after the game that the brunt of the blame belonged to him. "It starts with me," the Swiss Army knife guard told The Athletic's James L. Edwards III about the group's general lack of intensity.
The Knicks took one hundred shots against the Kings on Wednesday, but made just 39 of those attempts. When it came to their 3-point shooting, they were about half as accurate as teams typically like to be. New York made 19.5% of their looks from distance, shooting 8-of-41 on the night.
With those poor figures established, though, it's noteworthy that Hart deemed them relatively irrelevant to the Knick loss. He told media that New York lost because of their defense in Sacramento, not their shooting, lack of it, or anything to do with their offense.
It didn't help that the team lost their best offensive player in Jalen Brunson about five minutes into the contest. He exited the game with what the team said was a right ankle injury, but was seen leaving the arena without a boot (or most importantly, a limp).
The Knicks get right back to it on Thursday night, continuing their road trip by remaining in California to play the Warriors. New York is 8-11 on the road this season while Golden State is 14-6 at home, perhaps a telling harbinger of what's to come for the East Coast team on the second night of their mid-month back-to-back.
That game against the Warriors will mark the end of the Knicks' four-game road trip, with the team returning to Madison Square Garden to host the Phoenix Suns on Saturday. The Suns hosted the Knicks just last week, beating them by five in a close one.
Especially if Saturday's home team is missing Brunson, it could be a key spot for the rest of the team's rotation to step up and protect home court.