Preview: Kings begin homestand vs. Suns

Nov 13, 2024, 8:39 AM

PHOENIX, ARIZONA - NOVEMBER 10: DeMar DeRozan #10 of the Sacramento Kings dribbles the ball against...

(Photo by Kelsey Grant/Getty Images)

Lead Editor & Kings Beat Writer

At long last, the Sacramento Kings will be a series of games on its home floor.

After playing seven of its first 11 regular season games on the road, Sacramento (6-5) will begin a four-game homestand at Golden 1 Center on Wednesday night against the Phoenix Suns.

The Kings recently split a back-to-back against the Suns and San Antonio Spurs, losing the latter in blowout fashion as struggles from the three-point line continued to plague an offense that has had an overall strong start to the season.

Of Sacramento’s six wins thus far, Sunday’s win in Phoenix has arguably been the most impressive. The Kings trailed by double-digits in the fourth period before DeMar DeRozan (16 points in the fourth quarter and eight in overtime) and De’Aaron Fox (eight points in overtime) took over and stole the game from the Suns.

Phoenix (9-2) will be without star forward Kevin Durant (left calf strain) on Wednesday night. The status of Bradley Beal is also up in the air after the guard exited Tuesday’s game due to left calf tightness.

Can Sacramento find the bottom of the net from deep and start this homestand with a W? Let’s dive in.

Sacramento Kings vs. Phoenix Suns Info

When: 7:00 PM PT

Where: Golden 1 Center – Sacramento, CA

TV: NBC Sports California, NBA League Pass (for out-of-market viewers)

Radio: Sactown Sports 1140 AM – Coverage starts at 2:00 PM PDT on The Drive Guys

Line: Kings -7.5, O/U 222.5

Tickets: Click here

Be sure to tune in right here on Sactown Sports 1140 for all of your Kings vs. Suns coverage, beginning at 2:00 PM PST on The Drive Guys before a 7:00 PM PST tip-off from downtown Sacramento.

When Will The Shots Fall?

The Kings are still waiting for a breakthrough from the three-point line.

Entering play on Wednesday night, Sacramento is ranked dead-last among all NBA teams in three-point field goal percentage (30.1%), last in made three-point field goals per game (10.3), and 22nd in attempts per game (34.1).

Sure, the Kings have done most of their damage in the mid-range and paint this season (they’re ranked first in the league in made two-point field goal attempts per game with 32.4), but it’s uncharacteristic to see this roster fall short from the perimeter.

Outside of DeMar DeRozan (40%) and Domantas Sabonis (37%), no other players on the Sacramento roster are shooting over 34 percent from deep.

Players like De’Aaron Fox (28%), Keegan Murray (27%), and Trey Lyles (24%) have weighted down the Kings’s shooting percentages, but head coach Mike Brown continues to tell the media that he expects the shots to fall. Brown also has stated multiple times that he wants his team to take more triples as Sacramento searches for a slump-busting performance.

Phoenix has allowed opponents to shoot 36.3 percent from beyond the arc this season, including a 15-for-38 (39%) showing by the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night.

Keon cashes a triple 🤑 pic.twitter.com/u71Ur8z5RC

— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) November 12, 2024

Filling The Void

With Malik Monk (ankle sprain) sidelined for at least two weeks, Brown will have to get creative with his rotations.

The Kings currently have four of their starters among the NBA’s top-ten leaderboard in minutes per game, which isn’t sustainable for an 82-game season. No other team in the league has more than one player included on the list of minutes-per-game leaders.

Monk, the runner-up for last season’s Sixth Man of the Year award, has been a staple for the Sacramento bench over the past two-plus seasons, but now the Kings will have to piece together a rounded-out rotation to spell an overworked starting unit.

Keon Ellis will get more minutes in the rotation, while players like Jordan McLaughlin and Doug McDermott will also see a bump in playing time–but is that enough?

Brown will have to mix and match his starting and bench rotations, allowing his workhorses like Fox, DeRozan, and Murray to have spells of rest on the bench.

It wouldn’t be surprising to see Brown reach even deeper into his bench in certain matchups, with two-way forward Isaac Jones and sophomore guard Colby Jones candidates to see the floor if McLaughlin and McDermott aren’t providing the starters enough relief.