Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (10) is defended by Phoenix Suns center Bismack Biyombo (18) as he drives to the basket in the first quarter at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Fri Mar 24, 2023 (AP News photo)
By Jeremiah Salmonson
SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings (44-29) were back in action on Friday night in Sacramento. The Kings on Friday were coming off one of the toughest games of the season. The Kings were defeated on Tuesday against the Boston Celtics by the final of 132-109. It was a humbling game for the Kings, who had lost two in a row.
On Friday, the Kings were set to take on the Phoenix Suns, who had also lost two in a row and were looking to snap the streak. The Kings behind the efforts of Kevin Huerter and his leading 29 points ended the Kings two game skid with a 135-127 win at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.
GAME RESULT: In the first quarter, the Kings offense started slow. The Kings only scored 24 points in the first quarter as they couldn’t heat up on the offensive end. The Suns put up 30 points to put the Kings in an early hole. One major discrepancy in the game was that the Kings shot no free throws as the Suns shot nine. It was an underwhelming quarter for the Kings, who looked to turn it around in the second.
In the second quarter, the Kings continued to play very poorly. The offense didn’t look like it usually does with quick ball movement and open shots. Also, not to add insult to injury, the Kings defense is not very good. The lack of Kings defense was on full display in the first half. The Suns outscored the Kings again in the second quarter 37-32. The Suns weren’t even shooting well from deep going on 2/14 in that category, but the Kings couldn’t keep pace. The Kings would enter halftime down 67-56.
In the third quarter, the Kings came roaring back. The Kings outscored the Suns by a massive 45-26 in the third quarter. The Kings could do no wrong on the offensive end, as Hurter couldn’t miss. The Kings seemed to have their swagger back—something we hadn’t seen in almost three games from the Kings. In the third quarter, De’Aaron Fox went to the locker room and was out the rest of the game with a hamstring issue. The Kings would need to close the game in the fourth quarter without Fox and a 101-93 lead.
In the fourth quarter, it was a dog fight until the end. However, the Kings came out victorious! The Kings battled in a way they hadn’t shown in the last few games to take down the team immediately behind them in the standings. The Kings beat the Suns on Friday night in an eight point win. It was a huge win for the Kings who needed to snap the two-game losing skid they were on.
On the other hand, the Suns lost their third game in a row and in dire straights losing ground in the standings. The Kings were led by a great performance from Huerter in his return from injury. Huerter scored 29 points and was lethal from behind the line. In defeat, the Suns were led by Devin Booker who had 32 points.
Up Next: The Kings stay home to take on the Utah Jazz on Saturday at 7 PM PST. It will be the second night of a back-to-back.
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