Zach LaVine Gets Honest About Kings' Win Over Mike Brown's Knicks

Mike Brown helped turn the Sacramento Kings' franchise around, snapping their 16-year playoff drought, but at the first sign of regression, he was fired. Luckily, Brown landed on his feet after being hired as the new head coach of the New York Knicks, and the veteran coach made his first return to Sacramento on Wednesday night.

Brown received a standing ovation from the Golden 1 Center fans who still appreciate what he did for the franchise, but after that, it was all business. The Kings picked up their third straight upset win in front of their home crowd, beating the Knicks 112-101.

While Zach LaVine never played under Brown, the star guard understands why this game meant more for this team and the Sacramento crowd.

"I've been in the NBA long enough to know when players and coaches come back and play each other, it's a little bit more energy in the building," LaVine said. "Mike did a great job for these guys. I remember coming here playing Sacramento, and I'm glad he got the ovation that he got. There's nothing really to 'boo' for, but obviously we wanted to come out here and win the game for more than one reason."

Good stuff from Zach LaVine tonight in the locker room. He thought his team had an extra bounce tonight against their former coach. He also talked Precious Achiuwa and Dylan Cardwell: pic.twitter.com/Abu0fiZoql
— James Ham (@James_HamNBA) January 15, 2026

Kings spoil Mike Brown's return

Unfortunately, for what should be a great matchup in Brown's return to Sacramento, only three of Brown's former Kings players suited up on Wednesday night. DeMar DeRozan, who played under Brown for just 31 games, finished Wednesday's win with a game-high 27 points, six rebounds, and five assists on 12-13 shooting from the free-throw line.

Malik Monk was the only other former Mike Brown product who scored on Wednesday night, dropping nine points off the bench, while Keon Ellis finished with zero points in five minutes.

Of course, it would have been a better feel if Domantas Sabonis and Keegan Murray were healthy, as they likely would have loved to take down their former coach, but they were both sidelined with injuries.

LaVine, while he had nothing to play for against Brown, still seemed to feel the energy in the building. In the win, LaVine finished with 25 points on 8-14 shooting from the field and 5-9 from deep, marking his first time scoring over 20 points since early December.

Sacramento trio combines for 72 as the Kings win their 3rd straight!

DeMar DeRozan: 27 PTS, 6 REB, 5 AST
Zach LaVine: 25 PTS, 5 REB, 5 3PM
Precious Achiuwa: 20 PTS (season-high), 14 REB (season-high), 2 STL, 2 BLK pic.twitter.com/MalZBLsisn
— NBA (@NBA) January 15, 2026

Precious Achiuwa, who had his season-best performance with 20 points and 14 rebounds, has nothing against Brown, but had another reason to elevate his game on Wednesday night. Achiuwa spent most of the 2023-24 season and the entire 2024-25 season with the Knicks, and he likely wanted to show his former team what they were missing out on after deciding not to re-sign him.

This was a huge win for the Kings, and a good-looking team performance as well. The Kings have now beaten the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, and Knicks all since Sunday, showing the NBA that they are not the laughing stock that everyone thinks they are.

Of course, it will take a lot more wins to truly amount to something, but this three-game winning streak at least gives the team some motivation and confidence to keep going.

Kings spoil Mike Brown's return

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