Devin Booker helps Phoenix Suns hand Sacramento Kings their first loss of the season
After winning their first two games of the season for the first time since 2003-04, the Kings were reminded they can’t win them all.
Mikal Bridges scored 22 points, Cameron Johnson had 21 and Devin Booker added 20, leading the Phoenix Suns to a 116-100 victory over the Kings on Sunday at Golden 1 Center. Deandre Ayton posted 11 points and 15 rebounds for the Suns (2-1), who avenged Saturday’s 106-103 loss in Sacramento. Chris Paul had eight points and 12 assists.
“It’s a good learning experience,” Kings coach Luke Walton said. “You play the same team twice and they’ve got guys over there with Chris Paul leading the group and an All-Star in Booker, and they’ve got pride. They lost the first night and we knew it was going to be tougher tonight. We just had some real mental breakdowns and when we did they were ready to pounce on it.”
Buddy Hield had 17 points for the Kings (2-1). Rookie first-round draft pick Tyrese Haliburton had a career-high 15 points and six assists with no turnovers, making 5 of 7 field-goal attempts and 3 of 4 from 3-point range. Marvin Bagley III finished with 11 points and eight rebounds, but he was held to two points and two rebounds in the second half after getting into foul trouble.
“We had them,” Hield said. “We just took our hands off the rope. ... We should have won. That’s the biggest takeaway, but we just let the game slip out of our hands. We’ve just got to be better. We’ve got to execute and pull through. Grind it out.”
The Suns led 56-53 at the break, but the Kings staged an 11-2 run to start the second half. The Kings took a 64-58 lead on a 3-pointer by Hield and still led by three with five minutes remaining in the third period, but then they unraveled. De’Aaron Fox and Bagley both went to the bench after picking up their fourth fouls.
Fox checked back in for the final offensive possession of the quarter and immediately picked up his fifth foul. Fox finished with 12 points on 4-for-12 shooting with four assists and five turnovers.
Phoenix carried a 90-78 lead into the fourth quarter after closing the third with a 13-2 run. Haliburton blamed himself for giving up a four-point play when he fouled Langston Galloway on a 3-pointer with 2:45 to play in the third period.
The Suns went up 94-79 early in the fourth and led by as many as many as 23 in the final minutes.
“We knew tonight was going to be tough and you’ve got to give them credit,” Walton said. “Part of our plan was to do everything we could to make it hard on Booker and CP and Ayton, and I thought we did a good job of that for the most part, but they had other players who really stepped up and made shots and took advantage of our mistakes. We’re still pleased with the start so far, but we have a long way to go.”
The Suns shot 48.9% from the field and made 14 of 35 (.400) from 3-point range. They also won the rebounding battle 44-39 one night after the Kings amassed a 56-40 rebounding advantage.
The Kings shot 47.4% and knocked down 10 of 23 (.435) from 3-point range, but they committed 15 turnovers in a game that featured eight ties and 11 lead changes before the Suns pulled away.
Areas of improvement
It’s far too early to tell if these trends will continue, but the Kings have shown signs of significant improvement in some areas of weakness from the 2019-20 season.
After their first two games, the Kings were first in the NBA in offensive rebounds, 10th in defensive rebounds and third in total rebounds. They were also first in opponent’s fastbreak points, second in blocked shots, third in free-throw attempts, fourth in offensive rebounding percentage, fifth in opponent’s free-throw attempts, eighth in defensive rebounding percentage and 10th in defensive rating. For comparison purposes, the Kings were 27th in rebounding and blocks and 28th in free-throw attempts last season.
“It’s a second season with, for the most part, the same group,” Walton said. “We added some new coaches and there are some new players, but it’s why we talk about building winning behaviors and winning habits. Over time, you start to see things get better when you have the right type of people in place that want to get better, that want to win, so I think it’s a little bit of everything.
“Now, it would be great if it continues to go in that direction, but there are going to be a lot more speed bumps and taking steps back again. That’s’ just the way it works in this league, but I’m very pleased with what we’re getting out of the guys so far.”
Up next
The Kings will get a day off Monday following the back-to-back set against the Suns. They will play their third game in four nights when they conclude a three-game homestand against the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday at Golden 1 Center.
The Kings beat the Nuggets 124-122 in overtime in Wednesday’s season opener in Denver. Hield scored 22 points, including a game-winning putback as time expired. Fox and Harrison Barnes had 21 points apiece. Nikola Jokic recorded a triple-double with 29 points, 15 rebounds and 14 assists for the Nuggets, but Jamal Murray was held to nine points on 1-of-9 shooting.
The Nuggets (0-2) suffered a 121-108 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday. They will play host to the Houston Rockets on Monday before flying to Sacramento to play the Kings on the second night of a back-to-back.
Injury report
Suns: OUT — Dario Saric (quad); Abel Nader (concussion) QUESTIONABLE — Jalen Smith (ankle).
Kings: OUT — DaQuan Jeffries (back).
Upcoming Kings schedule
Dec. 29 vs. Denver Nuggets, 7 p.m.
Dec. 31 at Houston Rockets, 4 p.m.
Jan. 2 at Houston Rockets, 2 p.m.
Jan. 4 at Golden State Warriors, 7 p.m.
Jan. 6 vs. Chicago Bulls, 7 p.m.
This story was originally published December 27, 2020 at 8:22 PM.
