Sacramento’s Late Rally Not Enough In Loss To Suns
Nov 8, 2021, 9:40 PM | Updated: 9:41 pm
(Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
(Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
Although the Kings outscored Phoenix 28-11 in the fourth, a rough third quarter would be too much to overcome on Monday night
Too little, too late.
After trimming a 24-point deficit to just three points with less than 10 seconds remaining, the Sacramento Kings weren’t able to cap off a thrilling comeback over the Suns on Monday night as Phoenix held on for a 109-104 win at Golden 1 Center.
The ‘Cardiac Kings’ made a late entrance as a lineup of unlikely heroes outscored Phoenix 28-11 in the fourth quarter but it wouldn’t be enough to overcome a brutal third quarter.
With the loss, the Kings (5-6) fall below the .500 mark as they prepare set out on a four-game road trip.
It felt like déjà vu early as the Kings did their best impression of Sunday’s opening, letting Phoenix begin the game on a 7-0 run. Thanks to strong contributions from Harrison Barnes and Buddy Hield (eight points each) in the first quarter, Sacramento was able to limit the damage and keep the deficit within 34-28 heading into the second period.
With Tyrese Haliburton (back soreness) sitting out on Monday night, the Kings needed their guards to step up in a big way.
Buddy Hield (14 points) and Terence Davis (12 points) did just that in the first half, providing Sacramento with the energy and scoring needed to trim Phoenix’s lead to 67-54 at the half. Four members of the Kings finished in double-figures over the first 24 minutes of action: Hield, Davis, Harrison Barnes (15) and De’Aaron Fox (12 points).
Sacramento nearly matched its three-point output from Sunday night (10 three-pointers) in the first half on Monday, drilling nine of fifteen attempts. The only issue: Phoenix matchup the Kings with nine triples of their own to keep pace and maintain a slim advantage entering the second half.
Phoenix took advantage of an abysmal defensive effort from the Kings to open up the third quarter on a deflating 14-0 run to push their lead to 81-64 before Sacramento finally got on the board after three excruciating minutes. The Kings turned the ball over eight times during their worst quarter of the year as Phoenix took a 98-76 lead into the fourth.
A plug-and-play lineup of De’Aaron Fox, Davion Mitchell, Harrison Barnes, Chimezie Metu and Damian Jones brought the Kings back from the dead as they went on a 16-2 run to cut the Suns lead to 105-100 with just under three minutes remaining.
Golden 1 Center went bonkers after Harrison Barnes’ and-one lay-in trimmed the Kings deficit to 107-104 with 1:12 remaining, but the Suns challenge would be successful as Barnes’ basket was wiped off of the board.
Devin Booker left the door open for Sacramento after stunningly missing both free-throws with eight seconds remaining, giving the Kings a chance to send the game to overtime.
Chimezie Metu mishandled the inbound pass and the ball rolled out of bounds, paving the way for Chris Paul and the Suns to get out of Golden 1 Center with a win.
It all comes back to the third quarter, where Phoenix effectively put the game out of reach. Sacramento allowed the Suns to outscore their defense 31-12 in the period while turning the ball over eight times. In the end, it all comes back to those crucial 12 minutes.
As well as the Kings played over the first nine games of the season, the past two nights have been unsettling to say the least.
Plenty of season is left to be played, but the Sacramento Kings are going to have to put the previous 48 hours behind them in a hurry as they embark on a four-game road-trip.
Injury Updates
Kings guard Tyrese Haliburton (back soreness) missed his first game of the regular season on Monday night.
The sophomore guard woke up with a sore back and underwent treatment throughout the day, but was not feeling well enough to suit up against the Suns.
Haliburton is considered day-to-day moving forward and will benefit from the off day on Tuesday prior to Sacramento’s next game on Wednesday in San Antonio.
After an impressive showing through three-plus quarters of action, Terence Davis left the game and did not return after rolling his ankle in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter. Davis finished with 13 points (three-of-six from three-point range) over 26 minutes prior to exiting.
He is considered day-to-day for Wednesday’s matchup in San Antonio.
Coming Up
With the four-game home-stand in the rearview, Sacramento will embark on a four-game road trip that will begin on Wednesday night in San Antonio.
The Kings dropped two of the three meetings with the Spurs last season, the most costly being the final matchup on May 7th at Golden 1 Center.
Sacramento and San Antonio were neck-and-neck in the race for the Western Conference play-in before the Spurs dampened the Kings’ chances with a crushing 113-104 win in front of a limited audience at G1C.
Be sure to get all of your Kings vs Spurs coverage right here on Sports 1140 KHTK with pregame coverage beginning at 3:00pm PST on The Jason Ross Show prior to a 5:00pm PST tip-off from San Antonio, Texas.
Upcoming Sacramento Kings schedule
- November 10th @ San Antonio Spurs
- November 12th @ Oklahoma City Thunder
- November 15th @ Detroit Pistons
- November 17th @ Minnesota Timberwolves
- November 19th vs Toronto Raptors
