Kings vs Suns Reaction & Takeaways
Mar 20, 2022, 6:17 PM | Updated: 6:17 pm
(Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
(Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
Davion Mitchell established career-highs in points and assists during another hard-fought loss
The Sacramento Kings have lost three of their last four games and seven of eight since March 5th, but that isn’t a completely fair reflection of the team’s effort over the past week.
Sure, there are no moral victories for a team that has missed the postseason 16 years in a row.
But when you have a schedule like the Kings just had, and battle in each game the way that this team did, it’s effort that you can hang your hat on at the end of the day.
At this point in the season, it isn’t about winning for Sacramento–to be quite honest, winning games literally hurts the team when it comes to draft positioning.
Battling to the very end, like the Kings did during Sunday’s 127-124 overtime loss to the Phoenix Suns, is the perfect scenario for a team that will hope to grow over the offseason.
This game had excitement. This game had strong performances from a rookie point guard in Davion Mitchell. This game had clutch moments and very strong stretches of defense–all against the 58-win Suns, nonetheless.
It was a fun day at Golden 1 Center, and it wasn’t just because it was Nickelodeon Day and SpongeBob was in the house–it’s because the Sacramento Kings played another basketball game that didn’t make you feel sick.
We have seen so many games this season that you wish you could forget.
I want to remember the past week and hope that come next season, these guys have an example of what it’s like to battle it out consistently on the hardwood.
An Ideal Start With Stops
Sacramento’s defense was notable during the first half as they held a dangerous Suns offense below the 50-point mark.
Although the steals and blocks weren’t off of the charts, the overall effort was refreshing to watch.
Phoenix entered play on Sunday averaging 114.7 points per game (fourth in the NBA) and the league’s third-best offensive rating (115.1).
There were plenty of strong contests in the paint and contests on the perimeter as the Kings were able to keep the Suns in check early while the Sacramento offense converted 11-of-19 (57%) three-point attempts to take a 59-49 lead into the break.
March Madness
It isn’t just for college basketball, apparently.
After Devin Booker drilled a clutch go-ahead jumper to put Phoenix up by two with 8.3 seconds to play, Davion Mitchell drove to the rack and tied things up at 110-110 to send this thing to overtime–Sacramento’s first game with extra action since November 26th when they defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in triple overtime.
As they have done all week against formidable opponents during this brutal home-stand, the Kings battled the reigning Western Conference champions down to the wire.
With Domantas Sabonis sidelined with a knee injury, the offense ran through rookie guard Davion Mitchell, who did an incredible job of keeping Sacramento neck-and-neck with Phoenix during the fourth quarter and overtime period.
Mitchell and Booker’s back-and-forth battle injected plenty of energy into a larger than usual matinee crowd at Golden 1 Center as the March Madness fever appeared to have found its way into some NBA basketball as well.
Once Booker joined teammates Deandre Ayton and JaVale McGee by picking up his sixth foul with 50 seconds remaining, it looked as if the Kings had their chance to capitalize on short-handed Suns team.
Instead, Landry Shamet’s go-ahead triple with 31.1 seconds remaining would be the fatal blow for Sacramento.
Phoenix is the best team in the league, even with Chris Paul out due to injury. They have a very deep team, one that will look to make a deep push into the postseason this summer.
Sacramento battled today.
Over the past week, the Kings have gone through a buzzsaw of a schedule, facing the Utah Jazz, Chicago Bulls, Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics, and now the Suns.
Outside of the Boston, game, Sacramento hung tight in each contest.
Playing hard, competitive games while gaining ground in the NBA Draft Lottery standings (the Kings jumped to fifth following Sunday’s loss).
That’s a win in my book.
More Dominance From Domas Prior To An Injury Scare
If Domantas Sabonis has shown anything over the past four games, it’s that he is able to carry the load on offense if needed.
The two-time All-Star topped the 18-point mark for a season-long fifth-straight game during Sunday’s loss, finishing the day with 18 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists.
It was Sabonis’ 46th double-double (second-most in the NBA this season) of the year and his 12th over 15 games as a member of the Kings.
All in attendance at Golden 1 Center collectively held their breaths as the talented big man went down with a left knee injury midway through the fourth quarter.
After getting up and receiving a massive ovation from the crowd, Sabonis remained in the game and played for one more defensive possession before having to take himself out of the game due to discomfort. The 25-year-old walked to the locker room under his own power.
Sabonis will have an MRI on his knee on Monday.
Kings head coach Alvin Gentry said that he is “hopeful” that the center’s injury isn’t serious, but added that the team will not know the extent of the damage–if any–until the testing is complete.
De’Aaron Fox is dealing with a hand injury, and now Sabonis has gone down with a knee injury–a scary one, at that–with only nine games remaining in the regular season.
The ‘Fox & the Ox’ duo is one that was fun to watch when on the floor. You know what you have in those two players.
With Sacramento out of the postseason picture and rising the Draft Lottery standings, the time is now to fully shutdown Fox and Sabonis.
Harry Houdini
For the first time in almost eight years, Harrison Barnes failed to score a point during Friday night’s loss to Boston.
Prior to Sunday’s game, the veteran forward had only scored 16 points on five-of-18 shooting over his last three appearances.
Barnes’ offense reemerged against Phoenix as it only took 53 seconds for ‘Black Falcon’ to get onto the scoreboard.
Over 41 minutes of play on Sunday, Barnes looked like himself as he scored 21 points on seven-of-16 shooting from the field to go along with four rebounds.
I’ve said it for a few seasons now, but it remains true: when Harrison Barnes plays well, the Sacramento Kings play well.
Davion’s Big Night
With De’Aaron Fox sidelined and Domantas Sabonis taking on more of a scoring role over the past couple of games, Davion Mitchell did a strong job of creating offense on Sunday.
For the first time since February 9th, the rookie finished a game with seven or more assists, dishing out a career-high nine assists to go along with a new career-high of 28 points and three rebounds over 46 minutes (also a career-high).
Mitchell was feeling it from beyond the arc against the Suns defense, tying a career-high with four made triples on seven attempts from long-range–his third game this season with four made triples.
Injury Updates
- De’Aaron Fox (hand) was inactive on Sunday. The guard injured his right hand during the second quarter of Wednesday’s game and was in clear discomfort for the remainder of the contest. Fox underwent testing that revealed no damage and is considered day-to-day.
- Richaun Holmes will miss the remainder of the season due to personal reasons. More on Holmes here.
- Terence Davis will be re-evaluated in one month after undergoing successful surgery to repair a right wrist ECU tendon injury.
Coming Up
This next one might sting, Kings fans.
Sacramento will begin a two-week, five-game road-trip on Wednesday night when they face old friends Tyrese Haliburton and Buddy Hield in Indiana.
The Pacers defeated the Kings by a final of 94-91 back on November 7th at Golden 1 Center, as current Sacramento center Domantas Sabonis posted a double-double against his future squad.
You can find all of your Kings vs Pacers coverage on Sports 1140 KHTK beginning at 2:30 pm PST on Game Night before a 4:00 pm PST tip-off from downtown Indianapolis.
Upcoming Sacramento Kings Schedule
- March 23rd @ Indiana Pacers
- March 26th @ Orlando Magic
- March 28th @ Miami Heat
- March 30th @ Houston Rockets
- April 1st @ Houston Rockets
