Sacramento’s road trip comes to an end tonight as they head back west and face a Pacific Division rival in the Phoenix Suns. This will be the third time the Kings have faced the Suns this season, but the first time that all three of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal are available.
Let’s talk Kings basketball!
When: Tuesday, January 16th, 6:00 PM PT
Where: Footprint Center, Phoenix, AZ
TV: NBC Sports California
Radio: Sactown Sports 1140
Last Time
The Kings have beaten the Suns in both matchups so far this season with the last matchup resulting in a 120-105 Kings home victory. Domantas Sabonis led the way with a 28 point, 12 assist and 11 rebound triple-double.
Three in the Key
Finish Strong
The Kings are currently 2-2 on this road trip, and their last game against Milwaukee might have been the best game they’ve played aside from the final result (make your damn free throws!). They’ll finish the trip tonight with yet another tough matchup as they’ll be going up against the full strength Suns. This is a good opportunity for the Kings to finish the road trip strong and if they can play like they did against Milwaukee consistently, they should win most nights.
Fully Operational Suns
The Suns have finally got the gang all together and it’s been paying dividends. Phoenix has won 7 of 10 and Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal are taking turns lighting it up on a nightly basis. Beal is the only one not scoring at least 20 points a game but he’s still averaging 18.2 on a very efficient 51.2% from the field and 42.4% from three. Sacramento’s strategy in the first two matchups against the Suns has been to get the ball out of Booker and Durant’s hands, but having Beal on the floor just adds another weapon that can punish excessive doubles. The Kings may be forced to play more straight up than normal. Jusuf Nurkic is also back after missing the last matchup against the Kings, and he provides a stalwart counter to Domantas Sabonis. This is going to be a tough matchup and the Kings will have to be on top of their game to come out of Phoenix with a win.
Return of the Red King?
One good thing that came out of Sacramento’s loss to Milwaukee was a hopeful return to form for Kevin Huerter. Huerter scored 26 points, including 6-9 from three and he added a season-high 10 rebounds to boot. This is the version of Kevin Huerter we haven’t seen in a while and one that needs to be around for more than just one game. The Kings don’t need Huerter to be scoring 20+ every night but they do need him to be able to hit his open shots, especially from distance.
Prediction
The Kings own big 3 of Domas/Fox/Murray outduels Phoenix’s Big 3 of Durant/Booker/Beal with both sides totaling over 90 points combined each. And in a thrilling bit of karma after their last loss, it is the Kings and De’Aaron Fox who hit the game winning shot at the buzzer to win the game.
Kings 127, Suns 126
