The Phoenix Suns (9-2) travel to play the Sacramento Kings (6-5) on the second night of a back-to-back tonight.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!These two teams met just three days ago in a highly entertaining, back-and-forth match that ended with the Kings coming out on top with a 127-118 overtime victory, snapping the Suns’ seven-game win streak.
Since, Sacramento lost to the San Antonio Spurs 116-96 on Monday, while Phoenix defeated the Utah Jazz 120-112 last night.
The Suns, already without Kevin Durant (left calf strain), could be down even more starters tonight after Jusuf Nurkić (left ankle soreness) missed the win over Utah, while Bradley Beal went back to the locker room and did not return due to left calf tightness with just over seven minutes to go. The Suns’ injury report will be revealed around 2-2:30 p.m. MST today.
Here are some keys to victory for the Suns, who are big underdogs, to avenge their first loss to the Kings tonight:
Role players stepping up
If Beal and/or Nurkić are unable to go tonight, this becomes more paramount, but still is a big key to tonight’s game nonetheless.
Royce O’Neale and Grayson Allen combined to shoot 6-for-27 (22.2%) in Sunday’s loss and shot 7-for-18 (38.8%) together against Utah.
The Kings are without Malik Monk (right ankle sprain), so it will be hard for them to get a rhythm with bench players, while Allen and O’Neale have both given the Suns this luxury several times this season.
Mason Plumlee and Oso Ighodaro really stepped up without Nurkić against Utah. Plumlee had his first double-double of the year with 15 points (6-of-9 shooting), 14 rebounds, two assists and a block in 26 minutes in his first start of the year. Ighodaro had a career-high 12 boards to go along with six points (3-of-5 shooting) and two blocks in 21 minutes off the bench.
Ryan Dunn has averaged 8.0 points on 58.3% shooting, 2.5 rebounds and a block while starting the last two games for Durant.
These players will have to continue starring in their roles against the Kings tonight.
Executing in crunch time
The Suns were 7-0 in the clutch (games within 5 points in last 5 minutes) before the loss to Sacramento on Sunday.
A big reason why Phoenix fell was DeMar DeRozan, who had 24 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter and overtime on 9-of-10 shooting. Sacramento also boasts one of the best clutch players in the league in De’Aaron Fox, who matched DeRozan with eight points in overtime.
Devin Booker was clearly battling an illness in the first meeting and looked very fatigued down the stretch with a few airballs. He was much more rejuvenated against Utah, scoring 15 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter, shooting 11-for-20 from the floor overall and 5-for-9 from 3, to go along with four assists, two rebounds, two steals and two blocks.
The Suns only have one game decided by double digits so far this season, as they always seem to find themselves in close-game situations late. Executing both on defense against Sacramento’s stars and offensively with Booker (or Beal if healthy) leading the charge could be a big factor in tonight’s game.
Active hands
Phoenix did a great job of stripping Domantas Sabonis in the teams’ first meeting. The big man had a season-high six turnovers against the Suns, including four in the third quarter alone, which Phoenix won 29-19.
The Suns had 11 steals in total in the loss to the Kings and tied a season-high with 11 blocks against Utah last night. Both steals and blocks are essential to the Suns wanting to play fast, and it appears there has been a concentrated effort to do so over the last couple games, especially without Durant, who had been excelling in winning his matchups on defense.
Using active hands, the Suns can get a rhythm for themselves and kill momentum for the opponent, which will be key against a rowdy crowd at the Golden 1 Center.
Local Game Information
Start Time: 8:00 p.m. MST
Location: Golden 1 Center
TV Channel: AZ Family/3TV, NBATV
Radio: Arizona Sports 98.7 FM, La Mejor 106.5 FM
Stream: Suns Live (click for more info)
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) November 13, 2024
Betting Odds (DraftKings)
Line: SAC -7.5
O/U:Â 225.5
Injury Report
Suns: TBD
Kings:Â Malik Monk (right ankle sprain) OUT | Devin Carter (left shoulder surgery) OUT | Orlando Robinson (left MCL sprain) OUT
Suns provide injury update on Bradley Beal after win over Jazz
*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
