The Phoenix Suns (31-22, 6th in Western Conference) host the Sacramento Kings (30-22, 7th in Western Conference) tonight in their second-to-last game before the All-Star break.
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.
The Suns will look to bounce back from Saturday’s 113-112 loss to the Golden State Warriors, which came by way of a Stephen Curry game-winning 3-pointer. The Suns snapped a three-game win streak with the loss after struggling from the field.
The Kings have lost three of their last four contests after falling 127-113 to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday. Domantas Sabonis had a triple-double with 21 points, 14 assists and 11 rebounds in the loss.
Only Damion Lee will be out for the Suns tonight, while Sasha Vezenkov is out for Sacramento.
Local Game Information
Start Time: 8:00 p.m. MST
Location: Footprint Center
TV Channel: 3TV/AZ Family, TNT
Radio:Â Arizona Sports 98.7 FM, La Mejor 106.5 FM
Stream:Â Suns Live (click for more info)
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) February 13, 2024
Betting Odds
Line: PHX -4.5
O/U:Â 244.5
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) QUESTIONABLE | Chris Duarte (right ankle sprain) AVAILABLE
Starters (Projected)
Phoenix Suns: Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, Grayson Allen, Kevin Durant, Jusuf Nurkić
Sacramento Kings:Â De’Aaron Fox, Kevin Huerter, Harrison Barnes, Keegan Murray, Domantas Sabonis
Five Keys to Game for Suns
- Don’t get sucked into Kings’ pace
- Limiting De’Aaron Fox
- Playing team basketball
- Don’t allow huge runs
- Not giving open looks to Kings from deep
Prediction
Suns 128 – Kings 124
The Suns have usually played well coming out of a loss, and that should be even more heightened given the fact that they have the final roster that they are going to have for the rest of the season (outside of buyout players), so everyone knows they need to contribute. Phoenix’s mistakes last game were quite obvious, and they seem to respond well when they can play team basketball, so that will be a key for tonight. The Kings and the pace they play never makes them out of a game, but can create huge leads and deficits if it doesn’t work well.
The Kings are trying to figure things out as of late, highlighted by a loss to the 8-44 Pistons last week, while the Suns have figured things out, it’s just a matter of applying them consistently. Tonight shsould be an action-packed game that comes down to the wire, but the Suns’ experience and team effort should get them the win.
Last Meeting (Jan. 16, 2024)
Team Matchup Notes
Here are some stats, notes and everything else to know about the Suns and Kings before their fourth matchup of the season (via Suns):
Each team’s stats (via Suns):
Preview: Injury report
Preview: Royce O’Neale already challenging Suns’ teammates
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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
