Phoenix Suns beat Kings after Harrison Barnes misses 3-pointer at the buzzer
The Kings desperately needed a win and had a chance to get one in the final seconds, but Harrison Barnes missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer in a 112-110 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Saturday night at Golden 1 Center.
Devin Booker had 32 points and 10 assists for the Suns (12-20), who had lost eight in a row. Ricky Rubio scored 21 points. Kelly Oubre Jr. put up 20 points and 16 rebounds.
Buddy Hield scored 23 points to lead the Kings (12-20), who lost their sixth in a row on a night when point guard De’Aaron Fox and forward Marvin Bagley III were out again due to injuries. Hield made 8 of 17 from the field and 4 of 6 from 3-point range after struggling badly in the previous four games.
Bogdan Bogdanovic came off the bench to score 22 points. Barnes had 21 points and 10 rebounds.
The Kings lost to another team with a lengthy losing streak 48 hours after falling to the Minnesota Timberwolves, who had lost 11 in a row. They didn’t play as poorly this time, but they still got beat.
“Losing always stinks, but it’s how your team plays sometimes, and tonight I thought we really competed out there,” Kings coach Luke Walton said. “That’s the energy and the fight I want to see.”
The Kings led through much of the first quarter, but they trailed 31-30 going into the second period after Bogdanovic fouled Elie Okobo on a 3-pointer at the buzzer. Okobo made all three free throws to give his team the lead.
Both teams went scoreless to start the second quarter until Bogdanovic scored to put the Kings up 32-31. The teams traded leads until Phoenix staged an 8-0 run to take a 44-37 lead on a dunk by Mikal Bridges.
The Suns led 59-49 at the break after outscoring the Kings 14-3 on fast-break points. They shot 47.5 percent from the field and made 4 of 9 from 3-point range in the first half. The Kings shot 44.4 percent and made 5 of 17 from beyond the arc.
Sacramento cut the deficit to six early in the third quarter. Phoenix quickly reestablished a double-digit lead and went up by 14 on a dunk by Aron Baynes, but the Kings battled back to get within four going into the fourth quarter.
The Kings tied the game a number of times in the fourth and trailed by two after Hield hit a 3-pointer from the top of the arc with 1:09 remaining. They had a chance to win in the end, but Barnes missed an open look at the buzzer.
“It came down to one possession,” Hield said. “Harrison had a great look. Great shot, man. He could have made it. If he made that, nobody would be mad. Everybody would happy and we’d be celebrating, full of smiles. It is what it is. We’ve just got to move on to the next and figure this thing out.”
The Kings will face the Denver Nuggets (22-9) on the second night of a back-to-back on Sunday evening at Pepsi Center in Denver, Colo. The Nuggets will also be in a back-to-back situation after beating the Memphis Grizzlies 119-110 on Saturday.
Injury update
The Kings announced before the game that Bagley suffered a midfoot sprain to his left foot in Thursday’s loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Bagley is expected to miss “the next few games.” His status will be updated as appropriate, the team said.
Bagley recently returned after missing 22 games with a broken right thumb. He averaged 13.6 points and 6.5 rebounds in eight games and had recently moved back into the starting lineup before hurting his foot.
Coach’s challenge
Walton won another coach’s challenge after guard Yogi Ferrell was whistled for a foul against Suns forward Dario Saric early in the second quarter. The call against Ferrell was overturned and a foul was assessed to Saric instead.
Walton was asked before the game how he feels about the NBA’s new coach’s challenge, an experimental rule implemented this year to allow coaches to trigger one instant replay review per game.
“As I’ve won more challenges, I’m more accepting of the challenge rule,” Walton quipped. “Earlier in the year, I wasn’t a fan. Now that I’ve won a few, I’m OK with it.”
Walton praises Oubre
Walton figured his team would have its hands full with Oubre, who came in averaging 17.3 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. Oubre, who went to Phoenix last season after starting his career with the Washington Wizards, averaged 20.5 points and 8.5 rebounds in Phoenix’s first two games against the Kings this season. He had 15 points and 10 rebounds at the half.
“He’s having a great year,” Walton said. “Seeing him more now that he’s in the West, I’m really impressed with how he plays, how he competes. He plays with a chip, an edge, and you can see that carry over to his team a little bit, so he’s had a very impressive season so far.”
Sac Bee Spelling Bee
The in-game entertainment included the Sac Bee Spelling Bee on the giant video board inside the arena. Current Kings players were asked to spell assistant general manager Peja Stojakovic’s name. Trevor Ariza and Kyle Guy couldn’t do it. Bogdanovic got it right, but he needed two tries.
Injury report
Suns: OUT — Deandre Ayton (ankle).
Kings: OUT — De’Aaron Fox (back), Marvin Bagley III (foot).
Kings upcoming schedule
Dec. 29 at Denver, 5 p.m.
Dec. 31 vs. Los Angeles Clippers, 2 p.m.
Jan. 2 vs. Memphis, 7 p.m.
Jan. 4 vs. New Orleans, 7 p.m.
Jan. 6 vs. Golden State, 7 p.m.
This story was originally published December 28, 2019 at 8:33 PM.
