Pregame notes from Footprint Center before the Phoenix Suns (31-22) host the Sacramento Kings (30-22) for the third time this season.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!In the last meeting between these two teams on Jan. 16, the Suns staged one of the best fourth quarter comebacks ever, coming back from down 22 with 8:10 left in the game to win 119-117. The Kings have still won two of the three matchups against the Suns this season. These two teams will meet five times this year because they played each other during the week of the In-Season Tournament championship.
The Suns have gone 10-4 since this last meeting, which many considered a season-changing win. Meanwhile, the Kings have gone 7-6 since.
Top Pregame Quotes: Suns’ Coach Frank Vogel
On facing the Sacramento Kings for the fifth time this year because of the play-in tournament and what winning will mean: “We’ll see, hopefully we are close to being a home court advantage team and the Kings have that ability too, but we don’t know where the standings will ultimately will lie and all these head-to-head matchups matter. So this a tie-breaker game.”
On areas of improvement that the Suns needed to make since facing the Kings: “Getting our butts back and don’t be surprised with how fast they play. We were really disappointed rewatching the tape of the first half of the last time we played these guys and hopefully we’ll have more urgency tonight.”
On what makes Domantas Sabonis so difficult to guard: “Toughness and skill. He can do it all. Not just an elite passer, he can really score the basketball, he can really pass the basketball and he is a great screener and he is a great rebounder. All those areas make him very difficult to guard and he becomes a hub for all the other scorers. It is not just those guys creating off the bounce, their movement is one of the most difficult offenses to guard in the NBA, combined with his passing ability and finishing ability. It is not just him hitting guys for the backdoor for layups, it’s getting those guys coming off for shots and then them hitting him back while he is in the pocket and he is an elite pocket player maker, so again one of the most difficult teams in the league to guard.”
Top Pregame Quotes: Kings’ Coach Mike Brown
On Kevin Durant getting credit for his defense: “No he doesn’t, I was the defensive coordinator when we were in Golden State together. If something happened defensively that I didn’t like, I got on his behind. He is a superstar, one of the all-time greats and he is fighting me back. I just say, ‘you know, I don’t even have to say it, you know you are better than that,’ because he is. He is great off the ball, great on the ball, he can change, alter or block shots, he can rebound. Another area I used to kind of poke at him because he was great at it, but he didn’t get enough credit was his ability to pass the basketball. He is a better passer than people give him credit for, there are areas in the game that are not quote on quote, as glamorous as what the scoring looks like, but he is really dynamic where he doesn’t get enough credit for whatever reason.”
On if there is any urgency in tonight’s matchup for the head-to-head margin: “Not just this game, but there are 30 games I think left. I pointed that out to our guys. So we have to play better, in the same breath we are not rushing the season. We got to go out there with a sense of urgency and a sense of purpose and continue getting better. Which we can do, if we do that, in my opinion we are going to give ourselves a great chance to win night in and night out.”
On the Suns’ addition of Royce O’Neale: “Royce (O’Neale) has been in the league a long time and has been in winning situations for a while. He is just a pro’s pro, to be able to have a guy that size that is so versatile, that can shoot the ball the way he shoots it but also understands and embraces any role that is going to be thrown his way is just a positive for a veteran team.
The way that they are building their team is obviously different from ours. They have a lot of veterans they have kind of brought together, to bring a guy like Royce in, in my opinion is a guy who is going to fit in with any team, I think it is a homerun for the Suns.”
Starters
Phoenix Suns: Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, Grayson Allen, Kevin Durant, Jusuf Nurkić
Sacramento Kings: De’Aaron Fox, Kevin Huerter, Harrison Barnes, Keegan Murray, Domantas Sabonis
Injury Report
Phoenix Suns: Bradley Beal (nasal fracture) AVAILABLE | Damion Lee (right meniscus surgery) OUT
Sacramento Kings: Sasha Vezenkov (right ankle sprain) OUT | Trey Lyles (illness) OUT | Chris Duarte (right ankle sprain) AVAILABLE
Pregame Videos
Domantas Sabonis in the building for tonight’s #Suns vs. #Kings matchup. Has posted a triple-double in four of his last five games. Will he get another one tonight? pic.twitter.com/jIVrC3paSq
— Burn City Suns Talk 🎙️ (@BurnCitySuns) February 14, 2024
De’Aaron Fox arrives for tonight’s primetime matchup at Footprint Center between the #Kings and #Suns 🦊 pic.twitter.com/IkmQX9lcmc
— Burn City Suns Talk 🎙️ (@BurnCitySuns) February 14, 2024
Jusuf Nurkić in the house as the #Suns look to rebound from their loss Saturday to the #Warriors tonight against the #Kings pic.twitter.com/6xzGpM391S
— Burn City Suns Talk 🎙️ (@BurnCitySuns) February 14, 2024
Royce O’Neale warming up for his #Suns home debut pic.twitter.com/VsInQBXnh2
— Burn City Suns Talk 🎙️ (@BurnCitySuns) February 14, 2024
Devin Booker and Eric Gordon pregame #Kings at #Suns pic.twitter.com/n9ujrWqIMV
— Burn City Suns Talk 🎙️ (@BurnCitySuns) February 14, 2024
Suns look to bounce back from tough loss to Warriors: Kings at Suns preview and prediction
*Get the BEST Phoenix sports insider information, exclusive content, and access to our seasonal magazines! SIGN UP HERE to unlock our premium content!*
Brendan Mau is a senior writer covering the Phoenix Suns and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @Brendan_Mau
