If you’re still looking for Zach LaVine in a Chicago Bulls jersey, you’re looking in the wrong city. Honestly, it feels weird even typing that, but the two-time All-Star has been a Sacramento King for a while now.
Last night, Jan. 14, 2026, he looked every bit like the explosive scorer that made him a household name in the Windy City. He dropped 25 points against the New York Knicks, a performance that served as a loud reminder that he’s still got that elite offensive engine.
The Kings took the game 112-101. It wasn't just about the raw total, though. It was the efficiency.
How Zach LaVine points last game changed the narrative
Lately, people have been whispering about whether LaVine can still be "the guy" after dealing with some nagging ankle stuff earlier this season. He missed nine games recently. That’s a long time in NBA years. When he first came back against the Bucks on Jan. 4, he looked a little rusty despite scoring 20. But against the Knicks? He was surgical.
He shot 8-of-14 from the floor. That’s 57.1 percent. For a guy who lives on the perimeter and takes tough, contested jumpers, that is basically hitting the lottery. He also went a perfect 4-for-4 from the free-throw line. If you’re a coach, that’s the kind of discipline you want to see.
The most impressive part of the Zach LaVine points last game wasn't the layups or the dunks; it was the volume from deep. He buried 5 threes.
Breaking down the shooting splits
It’s easy to just look at a box score and see "25." It’s harder to see how those points were manufactured. LaVine played 36 minutes, which is a heavy load for someone coming off an injury. He wasn't just standing in the corner waiting for DeMar DeRozan to kick it to him.
He was active.
He grabbed 5 rebounds. He only had 1 assist, which, okay, that's kind of a "Zach being Zach" stat. He’s a bucket-getter, not a floor general. But when you’re shooting over 50 percent and hitting 5 shots from beyond the arc, the coaching staff usually lets the low assist numbers slide.
Why his performance against the Knicks actually matters
New York hasn't exactly been a defensive juggernaut this year—they came into this game ranked 28th in defending the three-ball—but you still have to put the ball in the hoop.
LaVine exploited their drop coverage all night.
Every time the Knicks' bigs sagged into the paint, he just rose up and fired. It looked effortless. This was his best scoring output since he put up 42 against Miami back in December before the ankle injury sidelined him.
The Sacramento fit
Some folks thought the trade to Sacramento would stifle him. You have DeRozan there, Malik Monk coming off the bench, and Fox (who missed time recently). It's a lot of mouths to feed.
But LaVine is averaging 20.0 points per game this season.
He’s found a way to be the secondary or even tertiary option without losing his identity. He isn't the high-volume, 25-shots-a-game guy he was in 2021, but he’s arguably more dangerous now because you can't double-team him with all that other talent on the floor.
The ankle injury and the "minutes restriction" myth
There was a lot of talk before the game about whether Doug Christie—the Kings' head coach now—would cap Zach’s minutes.
He didn't.
LaVine played 36 minutes and 14 seconds. That tells you the medical staff has finally cleared him for full contact and high-intensity workloads. If he was still hurting, there is no way he stays out there for the entire fourth quarter stretch.
He looked fast.
His first step, which is usually the first thing to go with an ankle sprain, seemed totally fine. He blew past Mikal Bridges a couple of times, which isn't easy to do. Bridges is one of the better wing defenders in the league, even if the Knicks' overall defensive stats are a bit of a mess right now.
Looking at the season-long trend
If we look at the bigger picture beyond the Zach LaVine points last game, we see a veteran who has settled into a rhythm.
- October 2025: He was on fire, averaging 29.2 points.
- December 2025: The injury hit, and his production dipped to 17.5.
- January 2026: He's currently trending upward again.
He’s shooting 39.1% from three on the season. That’s elite. Most "3-and-D" specialists would kill for that number, and Zach is doing it while creating his own shot.
The reality is that LaVine is no longer the guy who just dunks. He’s a refined, high-level perimeter threat. People still think of him as the 2016 Dunk Contest winner, but that’s like thinking of Netflix as a DVD-by-mail company. Things change.
What to watch for next
The Kings are heading into a back-to-back set soon. That will be the real test. Often, players with lingering ankle issues can play one game at a high level but then stiffen up the next day.
If LaVine can put up another 20-point performance on zero days' rest, the "injury prone" labels might finally start to peel off.
Actionable insights for fans and analysts
If you are tracking LaVine for fantasy purposes or just as a fan of the game, pay attention to his free throw attempts. When Zach is aggressive, he gets to the line 5-6 times a game. When he's "settling," that number drops to 1 or 2.
Last night, he was aggressive.
He didn't just settle for the jump shot; he used the threat of the jumper to drive into the teeth of the defense. That's the version of Zach LaVine that makes Sacramento a legitimate threat in the Western Conference.
Keep an eye on the injury reports for the next few days. If he’s not listed with "ankle soreness," it’s officially wheels-up for the rest of the season.
Next Steps for Following LaVine:
- Check the injury report 2 hours before the next tip-off to ensure no late-onset swelling.
- Monitor his 3PT volume. If he takes more than 7 attempts, he’s usually in for a 20+ point night.
- Watch the defensive matchups. He tends to struggle against physical, "bump-and-grind" defenders, so the upcoming game against physical teams will be a great litmus test for his durability.
