CSN Bay Area

Regardless of the Knicks plight, the Kings road schedule this season hasn’t been easy, but Sacramento did what they had to at Madison Square Garden.

They took care of business and blew out New York 124-86.

“It was the best passing game since I’ve been here,” Karl told the media in New York. “They found open men on a consistent basis. I think we can do better."

Rudy Gay lead the Kings with 25 points and Ben McLemore added 20 points. Derrick Williams contributed 17 points, including 3-for-5 shooting from 3-point range in 28 and a half minutes off the bench.

[RECAP: Kings completely embarrass Knicks in MSG]

“I thought Derrick helped . . . he made some big three’s early in the game. Rudy kind of got something going in the second and third quarter and Ben had a bounce to his step.”

“It’s great,” Williams said of playing for Karl. “He wants us to get out in transition, knock down shots so we’re playing fast and we’re playing together. That’s the main thing.

“I feel like this is the perfect fit for myself as well as some of the guys on the team. We’re just taking it one step a a time and trying to go over .500 on this road trip. He wants us to play together as a team. More we instead of me. That’s our motto and as long as we stay that way, more wins will come our way as well.”

After missing two consecutive games with a sprained left ankle, DeMarcus Cousins picked up his 35th double-double of the season by scoring 22 points along with 10 rebounds.

There was another residual effect of having the 6-foot-11 center back on the floor.

“The three ball is important to how we play,” Karl added. “Without Cousins, we haven’t been able to get a lot of them in the last two games.”

Another post-game theme for the Kings coach was passing.

“I thought Cous’ passing was big time. He and Andre (Miller) were orchestrating. Cousins did a great job of orchestrating the first unit and Andre did a great job of orchestrating the bench. There’s a lot of confidence out there because of their passing.

“I love Andre. I think he’s a masterful winner. One of the great passers of all time. He has no points and I think is a big factor in the game tonight. I think Cous is the same way. Cous has an incredible game with 10 shots mostly  because of giving ball to open man.”

Rookie Nik Stauskas matched his career high with 15 points and Omri Casspi added 14 points to round out the Sacramento double figure scorers.

[RELATED: Stauskas responds to Karl, matches career-high]

THE GOOD

The Kings shared the ball and had 26 assists on 41 field goals good for an assist to turnover ratio of 26 to 14.

Sacramento has struggled this season from downtown, but shot 10-for-18 from 3-point range.

Defensively, the Kings kept the Knicks in-check, holding New York to a paltry 86 points.

THE BAD

Originally scheduled for Jan. 26 and postponed due to inclement weather, the Kings had to wait until Tuesday to pick up the win.

THE TAKE

The Kings demonstrated heart, cohesion, focus and adherence to Karl’s style of play in a wire to wire road win.