Suns Mount Massive Comeback in Win vs Kings
PHOENIX -- With their star trio healthy, the Phoenix Suns looked to show the basketball world they were finally ready to compete with some of the best in the western conference.
The Sacramento Kings had other plans for the first three quarters.
Then, it all clicked.
The Suns - for lack of a better term - were embarrassed for majority of the game before pulling it all together in 119-117 fashion on Tuesday night, improving their record to 22-18 on the season.
It was a night littered with boos inside Footprint Center as the home crowd made their frustrations vocal, and though the Suns showed their own frustrations in body language and overall poor performance throughout, they ultimately didn't give up.
QUICK RECAP
The Kings got out to a fast start, carrying a 39-27 lead into the second quarter thanks to strong shooting (60.7% from the field including hitting five-of-nine attempts from downtown). Four Sacramento players (Keegan Murray, Harrison Barnes, De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis) had seven or more points.
Phoenix failed to make any sort of dent into their deficit heading into halftime, following the same narrative of lackadaisical defense and poor communication to a 68-51 deficit. Grayson Allen (20 points) was the only Suns player with double digit scoring after two quarters.
The Kings extended their lead to 20+ in the early portions of the third quarter, though a late push by Phoenix saw their deficit nearly cut in half heading into the fourth, 96-84. Nurkic finished the third quarter with 15 rebounds.
Sabonis secured his 11th triple-double of the season in the early stages of the fourth quarter. A short spurt by the Suns saw Kings coach Mike Brown take a timeout at the 4:39 mark and their lead down to 12.
Then - for nearly the first time all game - Phoenix found offensive cohesiveness, and it paid off.
Slowly but surely the Suns trimmed their deficit until a pair of Kevin Durant free throws in the final minute ultimately iced the 20+ point comeback to secure the victory.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES
GRAYSON ALLEN: 29 points, five rebounds, six assists, two steals
DEVIN BOOKER: 16 points, four rebounds, 11 assists
BRADLEY BEAL: 13 points, three rebounds, five assists
KEVIN DURANT: 27 points, five rebounds, four assists
DE'AARON FOX: 33 points, two rebounds, six assists, two steals
DOMANTAS SABONIS: 21 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists
WHAT"S NEXT
The Suns travel to face the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday at 6:00 PM Arizona time.
