(Photo credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images)

Sacramento Kings guard Malik Monk had his playing time severely cut in mid-December.

But suddenly the Kings have won back-to-back games for the second time all season, and he has been the catalyst.

Monk strives to put together his third straight strong performance when the Kings host the New York Knicks on Wednesday night. The contest marks Knicks coach Mike Brown's first visit to Sacramento since being fired as Kings coach in December 2024.

A three-game suspension issued to guard Dennis Schroder opened the door for Monk, and he slammed through with season highs of 26 points, eight assists and 7-of-9 3-point shooting in an impressive 124-112 home victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday.

The showing came one night after Monk had 15 points in the Kings' stellar 111-98 win over the Houston Rockets.

Monk couldn't help but touch on the victories as the Kings thrived in a rabid home atmosphere that included the postgame lighting of the beam.

'Two days in a row,' Monk said of the celebratory environment. 'I don't think we had this all year. It feels good.'

Monk played 27 minutes in a road loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Dec. 14 prior to the cut in playing time.

He didn't even get into five games and played single-digit minutes on two occasions while waiting to get another opportunity.

Then Schroder was suspended Saturday for attempting to strike Luka Doncic approximately 40 minutes after the Kings lost 125-101 against the Lakers on Dec. 28.

Two victories later, Monk looks like a player worthy of remaining in the rotation. The nine-year veteran kept his focus on staying ready.

'Just working,' Monk said. 'Coming in here whether I'm playing or not, I was not hanging my head and keeping my mind off the stuff I can't control. That's how I stay ready. Kept getting shots up and getting in my work.'

His philosophy worked as he averaged 20.5 points and 5.5 assists and made 9 of 13 from 3-point range the past two games.

The Kings were cranking from behind the arc with a season-high 65.4% (17 of 26) against the Lakers on Monday. DeMar DeRozan stood out with 32 points and six assists.

Wednesday is the final game of Schroder's suspension.

New York defeated the host Portland Trail Blazers 123-114 on Sunday for just its second victory in the past seven games.

The Knicks are 1-1 on a four-game trip entering the visit to Sacramento, where Brown has a chance for a bit of revenge.

Brown is the only coach to lead the Kings to the playoffs in the past 19 seasons. But when the team started slowly in his third season, he was dismissed with a 13-18 mark.

Brown said the return is emotional, but he wasn't interested in rehashing how he went from Sacramento hero to unemployed in short order.

'I can't control what things are being said,' Brown told reporters on Tuesday. 'Anybody can jump on the internet and post something and to some degree, you may think it's real. You can't control that. You've just gotta put your head down, keep pushing forward and be the best you can.'

New York's Josh Hart, who likes playing for Brown, remembers hearing the chatter.

'I don't know the ins and outs of how it transpired,' Hart said of Brown's dismissal. 'The stuff that was always reported wasn't the most respectful stuff. I'm sure he could talk a little bit more about the way that it happened. But I think the way that it happened was reported kind of unfair and unprofessional.'

Jalen Brunson scored 26 points in the win over Portland to raise his streak of consecutive 20-point outings to 18.

The Knicks have beaten the Kings four straight times and eight of the past nine. The only Sacramento win during the stretch was on March 9, 2023, at home while Brown was the coach.

--Field Level Media