Make no mistake about it, winning in the NBA is hard. Every night you face a talented team of competitors, of players who want to win, of people who have always been the best at their craft prior to joining the league. We are reminded of this time and again as Suns fans, for we have lived through a decade of defeat.
It may be too early in the season more the term "revenge", but you know when the Sacramento Kings (5-7) hosted the Phoenix Suns (7-5) on Tuesday night, they remembered opening night. The Kings lost their second year star Marvin Bagley, III that evening to a broken thumb, and saw a 5 point halftime lead morph into a 29 point ass kicking at the hands of the Suns. I know if I was the Kings, I wouldn't forget.
Fast forward nearly a month later, and the Kings find themselves riding a high, even without Bagley and PG De'Aaron Fox (grade 3 ankle sprain, out 3-4 weeks), following a 100-99 win Sunday night vs. Boston. The squad is 5-2 in their last 7 games and is playing well.
Much akin to the start of the Celtics game the night prior, the Suns came out cold. Ice cold. 31.9% from the field in the first half cold. The Kings, however, came out in their Kansas City royal blue unis hot. Sizzling hot. 62.5% from the field in the first half hot.
Ricky Rubio, who sat out the game prior with back spasms, attempted to jump start the offense with his presence, but the shots weren't falling. Every Frank Kaminsky 3 hit the front iron. Every shot Rubio made missed. Rubio joined inactive Aron Baynes on the bench in the 2nd half, as he could not continue with the pain. Thank s Ricky for trying.
When all was said and done, the Suns put up a fight. With the team as down 26 in the 3rd, the second team's performance in the late 3rd/early 4th, led by Bridges and Okobo, was impressive. The Kings kept giving the Suns chances to stick around, and the Suns kept, well, sticking around. The Suns actually outscored the the Kings in the 2nd half 71-58. I am grateful for the fight. I am grateful for the resiliency. There are no moral victories in sports, but to see a team have an off shooting night, dead in the water, and come back to force free throws at the end, you have to smile a little bit.
When the final whistle sounded, the Kings won by a mere 3 points, 120-116, handing the Suns their first back-to-back losses of the season.
Solar Flare of the Game
Mikal Bridges - The 2nd year player had his best performance of the year, scoring 20 points on 6-9 shooting. His effort in the 3rd set the tone for his teammates, using his length to get to the rim and putting the Kings in foul trouble. Mikal has seen inconsistent minutes this year, but with the game seemingly out of reach, he got his chance. And he made the most of it.
Solar Synopsis
It is clear the Suns missed Aron Baynes, out with a hip pointer. The Kings, like the Celtics, Hawks, and Lakers before them, focused on beating the Suns from the inside out. There is no answer in the paint, and if the Suns collapse, shooters like Bogdan Bogdanovic have career nights from beyond the arc (7-9, 31 points). Cheick Diallo put in some quality minutes in the middle, and was part of the squad that put a 24-10 run to end the third. But alas, Diallo isn't the answer to stopping opposing bigs. Either is Baynes. It's Ayton.
Opposing offenses have been taking advantage of an Aytonless interior. The Suns opposition is shooting 33.4% of their shots from inside 3 feet from the basket, 2nd most in the Association. The countdown to having our #1 pick back has been on. Not because of what he brings offensively, but what he negates defensively.
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