Preview: Kings, Suns set for important matchup before heading into break

The Sacramento Kings’ final game before the All-Star break has plenty of implications as they will face the division rival Phoenix Suns (31-27) at the Footprint Center on Tuesday night.

Sacramento (32-24) can improve to a season-high nine games over .500 with a win, but they will have to defeat a Suns team that holds a 19-9 record on its home floor. Although Phoenix will be without recently acquired superstar Kevin Durant, they have enough firepower to run with the Kings after winning four of its past five games.

Tuesday’s game might be taking place in mid-February, but the winner will be able to take a step forward in the tight Western Conference standings while also improving its chances of securing any potential tie-breaker scenarios.

The Suns have already defeated the Kings once this season–back on November 28th–meaning that Phoenix can ensure a season-series split at the least with a win. Sacramento is currently in the driver’s seat in the standings (third in the West, first in the Pacific Division), but the Suns can cut the Kings’ two-game lead in half with a win on Tuesday.

If Sacramento wants to put themselves in an even stronger position heading into the break, a win over Phoenix would speak volumes–especially on a night when Durant is out of the picture.

Once the Kings return from the All-Star break, it will be a sprint toward the finish line–but that final push should begin on Tuesday in Phoenix. Every game has importance for Sacramento, and this matchup with the Suns is a big one.

De'Aaron Fox has been the NBA's top clutch player this season and a nightmare for opposing defenses in the 4th quarter.

Being clutch isn't new to Fox, though.

The guard is quickly closing in on becoming the Sac-Era leader in 4th quarter points:https://t.co/Jc7tmOVAPd

— Frankie Cartoscelli (@FCartoscelli3) February 14, 2023

Sacramento Kings vs. Phoenix Suns Game Info

When: 6:00 PM PST

Where: Footprint Center – Phoenix, AZ

TV: NBC Sports California

Radio: Sactown Sports 1140 AM – Pregame coverage starts at 4:30 PM PST on Game Night

Line: Suns -2.5, O/U: 233.5

Slow Down Book

Looking back at Sacramento’s loss to Phoenix on November 28th, it’s the difference in the game’s outcome is clear:

Devin Booker.

The Kings dropped a 122-117 game at Golden 1 Center that was overshadowed by Booker’s massive 44-point effort on 17-of-28 shooting. Booker also grabbed eight rebounds and swiped a career-high six steals during the win, as Sacramento ran into issues on both ends of the floor against the three-time All-Star.

Stopping Booker on Tuesday will be imperative for the Kings as Phoenix will be without Durant, meaning that a Suns team sans KD and departed wings Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson will have a hard time generating offense if their star is unable to produce.

Booker has only played in three games since December 17th as the guard recently returned from a 2o-game absence due to a groin strain. Over two appearances in February, the Kentucky product has appeared a tad rusty as he has scored 20 points per game on 39 percent shooting from the field and 29 percent from deep.

If Sacramento can keep Booker from snapping out of his cold spell on Tuesday, they will be in a solid position to fly home happy.

Return of the Three-Pointer

After starting the season as one of the better three-point shooting teams in the NBA, Sacramento hasn’t looked right over the past three weeks.

The Kings shot 37 percent from beyond the arc during their first 47 games of the season, but that hasn’t been the case since January 28th.

Over the past nine games, Sacramento is shooting 32 percent from three-point land in a stretch that has seen the team shoot under 30 percent from deep on five occasions. The Kings can’t bank on continuing to win games without the long ball, as they hold a 2-8 record when shooting under 30 percent from deep this season.

Huerter. Triple. Tie game pic.twitter.com/LkVI3DPN4Q

— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) February 12, 2023

During Saturday’s overtime thriller against Dallas, Sacramento finished the night eight-of-32 (25%) from three-point range–the team’s lowest three-point percentage during a winning effort this season.

Kevin Huerter and Keegan Murray struggled during the team’s recent seven-game road trip, but both players have shown signs of snapping out of their slumps as Huerter went three-for-seven from downtown during Saturday’s win, while Murray is shooting 15-for-26 (57%) from three over his past five appearances.

The Kings have yet to prove that they can be a legitimate threat in the paint–unless they want Domantas Sabonis to get beat up even more down low than he already does–which means that the triples needs to start falling sooner or later.

What better time to break out of a slump than the last game before the break?

Recent History

• Sacramento is 2-5 against Phoenix since the start of the 2020-21 season
• The Kings have won their past two matchups against the Suns at Footprint Center, including Harrison Barnes’ buzzer beater on October 27, 2021.

Injury Report

Sacramento

• Malik Monk – OUT (right ankle sprain
• KZ Okpala – OUT (bilateral knee soreness)
• Neemias Queta is on assignment with G-League affiliate Stockton.

Phoeniz

•  Kevin Durant – OUT (right knee MCL sprain)
•  Cameron Payne – OUT (right foot sprain)
•  Landry Shamet – OUT (right foot soreness)

Upcoming Sacramento Kings Schedule

Tuesday, February 14th – Sacramento Kings @ Phoenix Suns – 6:00 PM PST

Friday, February 17th — Sunday, February 19th — NBA All-Star Weekend in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Thursday, February 23rd – Sacramento Kings @ Portland Trail Blazers – 7:00 PM PST

Friday, February 24th – Sacramento Kings @ Los Angeles Clippers – 7:30 PM PST

Sunday, February 26th – Sacramento Kings @ Oklahoma City Thunder – 4:00 PM PST

Tuesday, February 28th – Sacramento Kings @ Oklahoma City Thunder – 5:00 PM PST

Thank you for reading sactownsports.com. Follow us on Twitter and be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel. Frankie Cartoscelli is the Kings’ beat reporter for sactownsports.com. Follow Frankie on Twitter.”

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