Sacramento, Ca — The depleted Phoenix Suns struggled to find their rhythm on Wednesday night, falling to the Sacramento Kings 127-104 in the second game of a back-to-back. Missing key players Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal, and Grayson Allen, the Suns were unable to keep pace with the Kings in front of 16,204 fans at the Golden 1 Center.
With this defeat, the Kings (7-5) have now handed the Suns (9-3) two of their three losses this season, having also edged them out in an overtime thriller on Sunday in Phoenix. Notably, Kings star DeMar DeRozan was limited to just two points on 1-of-2 shooting in 17 minutes due to lower back tightness and did not play in the second half.
Despite generating 19 more shot attempts—thanks to a season-high 19 offensive rebounds—the Suns couldn’t overcome Sacramento’s impressive shooting performance, as the Kings hit 53.6% of their three-point attempts. Sacramento, which had entered the game ranked last in the NBA for three-point shooting at 30.1%, found their range against Phoenix.
Josh Okogie led the Suns with a season-high 25 points, falling just three points short of his career best, and added eight rebounds, six of which were offensive. Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox shone with a game-high 29 points, along with 10 assists and six rebounds, while Kevin Huerter contributed 22 points.
Here are five key takeaways from the Suns’ first double-digit loss of the season as they prepare for a challenging stretch of seven games in 11 days, starting with a matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday.
The Suns struggled early, falling behind 15-4 due to turnovers, including three from Devin Booker, Jusuf Nurkic, and rookie Ryan Dunn. However, they fought back from a 15-point deficit, closing the first half on a 9-0 run to trim the Kings’ lead to just five points at halftime, 61-56. Okogie was particularly effective, scoring 16 of his 25 points in the first half on 7-of-11 shooting, including 2-of-3 from beyond the arc.
“I’m just more relaxed,” Okogie remarked, crediting his improved jump shot to greater confidence and Coach’s encouragement to take shots without fear of repercussions. After returning from a preseason hamstring injury, he had managed only 17 points in his first three games back.
The Suns stayed competitive despite allowing 61 points in the first half, opening the third quarter with a 12-3 run to take a 68-64 lead with 8:13 left in the period. Booker’s quick five points helped spark the Suns, but the Kings quickly regained control with a 13-0 run, pushing their lead to 77-68. During this crucial stretch, Phoenix’s transition defense faltered, and Booker went 0-for-4.
When the Suns made a late push to narrow the gap to five points at 93-88 early in the fourth, the Kings responded decisively with a 10-2 run, fueled by three-pointers from Fox and Huerter, effectively sealing the game.
