SACRAMENTO, Calif. — In the morning before the Knicks took the floor for Friday night's game against the Kings, interim coach Mike Miller spoke of his belief in all three of his point guards, maintaining that he would continue to rotate all three of them as he had through his first three games at the helm.
But instead, he never went to Dennis Smith Jr. once against the Kings, keeping him on the bench. And as he has increasingly done, he went to Elfrid Payton to play the role of closer.
With Payton playing 27 minutes, including the final six, the Knicks beat the Kings, 103-101, for their second straight victory after 10 consecutive losses.