Kings win on Harrison Barnes’ 3-pointer at buzzer; Suns have ‘uncomfortable conversation’
The Kings played a horrible first half Wednesday night at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, but they came through in the clutch to produce a fantastic finish in the Valley of the Sun.
Harrison Barnes buried a 3-pointer at the buzzer, helping the Kings escape with a dramatic 110-107 victory over the Phoenix Suns in the first game of a four-game road trip. Barnes took an inbound pass from De’Aaron Fox with 1.4 seconds remaining, turned and launched over the outstretched arm of Suns guard Devin Booker.
“Man, it felt good,” Barnes said. “All my 3s tonight felt good. Not many of them dropped, but I was glad that last one did.”
The Kings (2-2) needed a win after squandering second-half leads against the Utah Jazz and Golden State Warriors. The Suns (1-3) needed one, too, but instead they were sent away in defeat to have what veteran forward Jae Crowder called an “uncomfortable conversation.”
Sacramento trailed by as many as 12 after allowing Phoenix to shoot 51% in the first half, but the Kings were more physical and aggressive in the second half, holding the Suns to 38.1% shooting. The Suns missed their first eight shots in the third quarter and went scoreless for 3:50, allowing the Kings to come back and claim the lead.
“Much better second half,” Kings coach Luke Walton said. “Our first half was pretty gross, but (you have to) find a way some nights and that’s a really good team we played, and to come out in the second half with that energy. We started hitting the glass better, started hitting some shots better and we played at a faster pace, and that’s how we have to do for the whole game, so I was proud of the group for stepping up.”
Buddy Hield led the barrage as the Kings outscored the Suns 29-15 in the third quarter. Hield scored 14 of his season-high 26 points in the third. He also finished with five rebounds, two steals and two blocked shots.
Barnes had 22 points, nine rebounds and four assists. He made 10 of 18 from the field and 2 of 6 from 3-point range. Barnes is averaging 26.8 points and 10.0 rebounds per game while shooting 51.4% from the field and 51.5% from beyond the arc.
“He’s really been ballin’, putting the ball in the hole for us, helping lead us, just been doing a lot of great things,” Kings guard Tyrese Haliburton said. “On top of that, the ultimate example as a vet, not only as a player, but as a person, so just a great guy to have with us.”
Richaun Holmes recorded his third double-double of the season, posting 12 points and 12 rebounds.
Walton was asked if a good win over a top playoff contender suggests this is a “different group of Kings” after 15 consecutive losing seasons.
“We are a different group,” Walton said. “We have a long way to go still, but we put in time and we put in work and it’s a group that believes in each other, a group that knows they’re headed in the right direction.”
Phoenix in a funk
The Suns, meanwhile, have started the season in a bit of a tailspin after reaching the NBA Finals last season.
Crowder said the Suns “have to get back to being the hunter, instead of just being hunted.” Deandre Ayton agreed.
“I would say tonight we played with our food a little bit,” said Ayton, who had 21 points and 21 rebounds. “That third quarter was unprofessional. It wasn’t us. We were just a step behind them. They were playing hard, getting a lot of 50/50 balls. There were a lot of offensive rebounds in that third quarter as well, second-chance shots, and a lot of 3s. They just felt real comfortable. They didn’t feel us at all.”
Crowder was asked if Phoenix’s funk reminds him of any other time in his career.
“I’ve been in situations where the first month is brutal and you are able to get out of it, but it requires a lot of work and requires a lot of uncomfortable conversations. Not even putting that on coaches. It’s guys in the locker room. We have to have these uncomfortable conversations to get us out on these situations and try to get us to put our best foot forward. Right now, it’s starting tonight. We had an uncomfortable conversation that our team needed, and we need those to grow because it’s a different season.”
Off night
Booker scored a game-high 31 points, but he only made 12 of 28 field-goal attempts. Chris Paul was held to six points on 1-of-10 shooting. The All-Star guards combined to go 13 of 38 from the field.
Fox watch
De’Aaron Fox finished with 18 points and nine assists, but his early-season shooting struggles continued.
Fox made 7 of 20 field-goal attempts, 1 of 5 from 3-point range and 3 of 7 free-throw attempts. Through four games, he is shooting 37.6% from the field, 16.7% from beyond the arc and 54.5% at the free-throw line.
Road ahead
The Kings will visit the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday, the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday and the Jazz on Tuesday before returning to Sacramento face the Pelicans again Nov. 3.
This story was originally published October 28, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
